The Journey Alone
by frodothejedi
Summary: What if Frodo married Pippin's oldest sister, Pearl Took, before the quest? AU. Obviously. Very sad toward the end. She watches Frodo as he succumbs to the Ring and she plays a role in the War of the Ring, but is not a tenth walker. Character death late in the story. NO OC'S! Movie verse, for timeline reasons.
1. The Proposal

The Journey Alone: Chapter 1 The Proposal

September 22, 3001 (T.A.) 1401 (S.R.)

Pearl's POV

"Come on, Pearl!" Pippin yelled to me. "I want to get some food before it's all gone!"

"I'm coming!" I said, annoyed. My two younger sisters had forced me to watch Pippin, troublesome tween that he was. _They _could not be bothered with watching "darling (yet annoying) little Pippin." And what were they doing? Dancing, eating, and flirting with every young gentlehobbit at the party. There were a lot of them, since it was Bilbo's biggest birthday party ever. He deserved it, whatever those more "respectable" hobbits said. Tooks can appreciate the adventuresome.

I finally caught up to Pippin. It wasn't hard at all, considering that he wasn't going anywhere at the moment—he was at a table stuffing his face with food. And he wasn't the only one. The table was surrounded by Brandybucks doing what only hobbits do best: eat.

Just then, I noticed a particular Brandybuck that I was not too happy to see. Simultaneously, I groaned, while Pippin squealed in delight.

"Merry!" he screamed, jumping up from the table. He ran around to where the infamous Brandybuck sat.

"Pippin!" Merry yelled in surprise. They hugged and started jabbering about the excellent food.

"Really, Pippin? It's as if you hadn't seen each other in years! You saw each other _yesterday_!" I said, completely exasperated. Of course, though, they ignored me.

One of the Brandybucks at the table was watching the proceedings. He chuckled and looked at me.

"Those two are like peas in a pod!" he told me. I smiled, agreeing. Unfortunately, in the short moment that I was speaking to the Brandybuck, the two tweens had bolted. I grimaced; nodded to the hobbit I had been speaking to and ran after them. He laughed again and took another sip of ale. Only later did I realize that I had been speaking to Merry's father, the Master of Buckland.

* * *

I followed the tweens as fast as I could, which wasn't very fast because of all the hobbits, tables, chairs, tents, and other party paraphernalia scattered around. The two hobbits seemed to have no particular goal in mind. Unless you count grabbing as much food as possible, knocking into the most hobbits as possible, and causing as much mischief as possible as a goal! I must've looked like a fool, and I knew it. I had begun chasing them by yelling at them to stop, but I quickly abandoned that idea as the yelling had absolutely no effect on them.

I didn't notice much as I was chasing them, (I had to keep my eye on them or I'd lose them) but I did notice Frodo Baggins watching me. He was leaning against a pole that was holding up a banner, drinking ale and smirking at me. I noticed him and immediately stopped running. Then he blushed and looked away, taking another sip of ale.

I looked back to where Merry and Pippin had been. They were gone, and I couldn't see them anywhere from where I was standing. So I sank into the nearest chair and watched the dancing for awhile.

* * *

Frodo's POV

"Pleased to see you, Uncle Paladin, Aunt Eglantine," I said.

"And you as well," Uncle Paladin's deep voice said. They moved on to greet Bilbo. I sighed. Greeting guests is boring, especially when you have to do it for over an hour when you could be having fun. But I plastered a smile on my face for the next few guests arriving. And of course the next few guests were Pervinca and Pimpernel Took: the most insufferable hobbit girls in the entire Shire. They batted their eyelashes at me and were giggling constantly. I groaned inwardly, but I tried to be polite, for Bilbo's sake if not my own. Hobbit girls were always unashamedly flirting with me.

"Hello Frodo!" Pimperenel said flirtatiously. She batted her eyelashes again and flashed a sickly sweet smile across her face.

"Do you have a dancing partner tonight?" Pervinca asked coyly.

"As a matter of fact, I do," I said, improvising quickly. "I promised Lobelia Sackville-Baggins that I would dance with her _all night_."

The two Tooks looked horrified and moved onto Bilbo quickly. As soon as they had passed into the party, Bilbo leaned in to whisper to me.

"You didn't_ actually _promise Lobelia that you'd dance with her, did you?" he asked, horrified. I shook my head, barely containing a laugh.

"In that case, good save," Bilbo said, chuckling a bit.

The next two guests were Pearl and Pippin Took. I was quite happy to see Pippin as I hadn't seen him in a while. I greeted him heartily and dreaded when he moved on to greet Bilbo. I assumed Pearl would act similarly to her sisters. But she didn't, to my surprise. She greeted me politely and gave me a quick hug, as many of my other relatives had.

This time, however, I felt my face go pink. She looked at me as she pulled away, and I saw her blush as well. And I noticed for the first time how green her eyes were. Exactly like Pippin's. She moved to Bilbo quite quickly after that. Bilbo leaned in to whisper to me again.

"Maybe you should ask _her _to dance. She has grown up prettily since I last saw her," Bilbo said. He looked at me mischievously. He had probably noticed our awkward interaction and our blushes. Bilbo never missed a thing, no matter how old he was. He winked, and we went back to greeting more guests.

* * *

Later, I sat at a table with Sam, our gardener and my friend. We were drinking ale and watching the dancing. I soon noticed that Sam was watching someone in particular.

"Sam, who are you watching?" I asked.

"No one," he answered quickly, looking sheepish.

"It's Rosie Cotton, isn't it? She _is _looking quite pretty tonight," I said, teasing him. Sam muttered something about me watching Pearl, and I promptly blushed.

"I think I'll have another ale," Sam said, getting up and hoping to avoid me. I was too quick for him though.

"Go on, ask Rosie for a dance!" I said, laughing. I shoved him toward Rosie as she passed, and laughed as he grabbed her hands and smiled brightly.

The hobbit next to me, some Bolger or Boffin or someone was getting quite a bit drunk, however, and was getting louder and more annoying by the minute. I moved to where I could see the dancing and the rest of the party.

That's when I noticed Pearl again. She was chasing both Merry and Pippin all around the party. I turned my attention to her and laughed at her attempts to catch the two tweens. Everybody who knows those two hobbits knows that the only way to get Merry and Pippin to listen is to give them food!

Those two hobbits managed to make several laps around the entire party before Pearl noticed me. She stopped chasing Merry and Pippin and stared at me looking confused and slightly embarrassed. I was mortified that she had caught me looking at her and I blushed and looked away.

Something made me think of what Bilbo said about dancing with Pearl. So I got up m nerve and went over to where Pearl was sitting. I held up my hand and bowed.

"Would you like to have this dance with me, Pearl?" I asked. I was probably blushing, but I smiled anyway.

* * *

Pearl's POV

"Would you like to dance with me, Pearl?" he asked me, blushing. He smiled, and his smile went all the way to his bright blue eyes. I was not expecting him to abruptly ask me to dance right then, and I was so surprised that I only sat and stared into his eyes for what seemed like hours.

Finally, I said yes and he grabbed my hand and we went straight into dancing. Then he suddenly started laughing. I was appalled: I thought he was laughing at my dancing.

"Frodo Baggins! If you're going to laugh at me, I'm not going to dance with you!" I said indignantly. He continued laughing.

"No! No! It's just…" he could barely speak, he was laughing so much. "It's just… you chasing Merry and Pippin…" He started laughing even more, and still continued to dance.

Then I finally broke down and started laughing, too. We danced for a bit more, and then I noticed that Pippin was playing the bagpipes in the band that was playing the music we were dancing to.

"I think I've found Pippin," I said slyly to Frodo. We both started laughing again. And we danced and talked until Bilbo went up to give his speech.

I left Frodo to watch Bilbo give his speech while I went to find Pippin and give him a scolding. I found him talking to the other musicians.

"Peregrin Took! What do you think you've been doing? You made me look like a fool in front of everybody!" I scolded him.

"But..." Pippin started, but that was all he got out before Bilbo started to speak and we all had to be quiet.

* * *

Frodo's POV

I couldn't believe it. Bilbo had vanished before our eyes. I hoped that he was just playing a trick on all of the annoying relatives, but I think I knew in my heart that he was gone for good.

I went to go find Pearl. She was standing with Pippin looking as shocked as I was.

"Pearl, could I borrow you for a moment?" I asked, determined to do what I was going to do.

"Yes, of course, Frodo. Pervinca! Mind Pippin for a moment!" she yelled over to her sister. "Well, what is it?" she asked. Suddenly I was nervous.

"Come walk with me," I said. As we walked, our hands joined, though I did not notice it at the time. I took her to the top of the hill, which was, and is, one of my favorite spots in the Shire, especially because you can see so far over the Shire.

Once we got there, we sat on a bench Bilbo had put there for me because I spent so much time there. We sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the magnificent sight of the stars and the party still going on below us. Finally, Pearl spoke softly.

"What is it Frodo? You are nervous," she said.

"You know me well," I said. I had thought that I had hidden my nervousness, but she saw right through it.

"Pearl, will you marry me?" I asked, totally sincere. Her mouth dropped open.

"Are you drunk?" she asked, aghast.

"No! I love you, Pearl. We've known each other for our entire lives. And I don't think your father or Bilbo would have any objection," I explained. Pearl seemed to be in shock.

"Oh my stars! Yes!" she said. And I kissed her.

TBC


	2. Permissions and Reminisces

The Journey Alone: Chapter 2 Permissions and Reminisces

September 22-23, 3001(T.A.) 1401(S.R.)

Frodo's POV

We kissed for a long while. When we finally broke apart, Pearl had a watery smile.

"I love you, Frodo Baggins," she said as she laid her head on my shoulder, embracing me. "And now I can finally tell you how much I love your beautiful blue eyes without embarrassing myself," she said half-jokingly. I laughed.

"And I love your green eyes," I said. "And your curly hair, and your smile, and the way you laugh, and how you are so concerned about everybody and your personality…" I listed, but Pearl stopped me with a look. "What? I could go on, you know!" I said. I could tell that she actually appreciated what I was saying, but she was still embarrassed.

"Fine. Have it your way. I love your nose, your smile, your flawless skin, your laugh, your messy mop of curls…" she said, stopping when she noticed my blush. "See, now you know how it feels. Be as sensible as I know you are."

"Pearl," I said, becoming serious again, "we should keep this quiet until I tell Bilbo and officially ask your father's permission. We don't need Pervinca and Pimernel bothering us. Or Lobelia."

"You're right. When will you come ask my father?" she asked.

"Tomorrow, if everything goes well with Bilbo. It should, though. He's been teasing me about getting married for ages now," I said.

"Alright, love. See you tomorrow," she said. And we kissed again. Then we walked down the hill together and finally parted ways.

* * *

"Bilbo? Bilbo!" I said, swinging the round, green door open. My eyes were drawn to the floor, where I noticed the Ring. Bilbo's Ring. The one he was so secretive and protective of. _How could he be so careless? _Then I realized: Bilbo wasn't there. He had left me to go on his last adventure.

Gandalf was sitting by the fire, smoking his pipe.

"He's gone, hasn't he?" I asked.

"Yes, he's gone. He's left you Bag End," Gandalf said with a smile. He held out an envelope for me to put the ring in.

"I wish I could've said goodbye to him," I said sadly. "And I have something important to tell him."

"What is it?" Gandalf asked, concerned but curious.

"I've asked Pearl Took to marry me. I was hoping to get Bilbo's blessing," I said.

"Congratulations, Frodo!" Gandalf said sincerely. "I'm sure Bilbo would have given his blessing, but you are now master of Bag End and you're of age. You can marry whomever you choose." Gandalf pulled me into a quick hug.

"Thank you, Gandalf," I said, reassured.

"Now about the Ring Bilbo's left you," he said, "you must keep it safe and hidden. Tell no one that you've got it. I must be off." Gandalf rose as far as he could without bumping his head and took his staff from my hand.

"But Gandalf! You've only just arrived! Won't you stay for the wedding?" I asked him pleadingly. "I don't understand!"

"Neither do I," he said. And he opened the door and went out.

* * *

Pearl's POV

As soon as I left Frodo, I went back to the now winding down party. I found the rest of my family, who were just beginning to leave. Luckily, since it was getting late and Tookland was a while away, they had decided to stay at an inn for the night.

I was afraid that my father would decide to just go home no matter how late it was, but I think he took one look at Pippin and decided against it. Pippin was dead tired and about to fall asleep on his feet. At least then Frodo could come talk to my father much sooner than if we had been in Tookland.

Pervinca and Pimpernel must have suspected something because I noticed them whispering as we walked to the inn. I sincerely hoped that they wouldn't snitch on me for going off alone with Frodo, especially because we had been informally courting each other ever since we were old enough to do so.

My last thought before I fell asleep was of him.

* * *

Frodo's POV

The next day, I woke bright and early, even before Sam arrived. I was filled with nervous energy. Pearl's father could be quite domineering at times.

I had breakfast on the table when Sam arrived and knocked on the door.

"Come on in Sam. Would you like some breakfast?" I said as Sam came in.

"Of course, Mr. Frodo. I've never been one to turn down food, even if I've just eaten. The climb up the hill can be right tirin' sometimes," Sam replied, jokingly. I laughed. We sat down at the table together and began to eat.

"Sam," I said, being serious, "I asked Pearl Took to marry me last night. She said yes." I smiled hopefully, waiting for his reaction. Sam looked at me, eyes wide. He dropped his fork with a clang.

"Well it's about time!" he said, smiling. I laughed.

"You're one to talk! When are you going to ask Rosie Cotton, hmm?" I said. Sam blushed and mumbled something I couldn't hear. "Anyway, I'm going to ask her father for permission to marry her today. Do you know if they went back to Tookland last night? Or did they stay at an inn?" I asked him.

"They stayed at the Green Dragon. Mr. Pippin was too tired to go home last night. My Gaffer saw them this morning when he went into town," Sam replied. I nodded. Suddenly I was nervous. I think Sam noticed because he told me he'd clear up the dishes for me so I could go get ready.

I went to my room and changed into more formal clothes, quickly brushed my hair, and prepared to go. I quickly said goodbye to Sam as I went out the door.

"Bye Mr. Frodo! Good luck!" he called to me from the kitchen. His 'good luck' wish seemed ominous to me.

The day was beautiful—the sun was shining, it was not too hot or cold, the leaves on all the trees turned a bright yellow or orange. Autumn is my favorite season, yet I didn't pay any attention to any of my surroundings. I was completely absorbed in the thought of what I was going to say when I met Pearl's father. I hoped he wouldn't see me and immediately think of the mushroom stealing young tween I used to be. My reputation was quite awful when I was younger, before Bilbo adopted me. I hoped Paladin would see that I had been properly raised by Bilbo to be a much politer hobbit.

Bilbo. That was another thing. Some hobbits who didn't know Bilbo as well considered him to be half-mad after Bilbo had gone on his adventure: disappearing without a trace, with absolutely no warning, and then turning up a year later, fabulously rich, and bringing home strange elves and dwarves! I can't really blame them, since I don't think Bilbo ever told the whole story to any hobbit besides myself, Sam, and maybe a few younger hobbits who loved stories.

However, Tooks were known for their adventurousness, so Paladin would probably have some sympathy for me. Especially because Bilbo had just left. I at least could tell him that I could provide for his daughter: Bilbo _had_ justleft me Bag End and everything in it, along with all Bilbo's properties he inherited from his father. I actually was quite rich, and could afford to not work if I didn't want to.

Running these thoughts through my mind as I walked to the inn, I felt considerably better about my prospects with Paladin. In fact, as I opened the door to the inn, I was feeling quite confident.

As soon as I entered, I saw Pearl's entire family sitting at one of the tables eating their breakfast. Butterflies entered my stomach again as every member of the Took family stared at me and stopped their cheerful chattering. Pearl smiled at me encouragingly.

"Why, hello, Frodo! What brings you here so bright and early?" Paladin asked me. I looked at Pearl again, and her smile grew wider.

"Actually, I was hoping I could speak to you, Uncle Paladin. Privately," I said. Pervinca and Pearl's eyes widened. As did her mother's.

"Of course, Frodo. I've just finished my breakfast anyway," he said. With a glance around the room, which was filled with a few other hobbits eating, he said, "perhaps in my room, then?" I nodded, flashed a quick smile to Pearl and followed Paladin to his room.

The room was furnished with a rustic, yet clean couch and a couple chairs near the fireplace. A large bed was against the opposite wall. We sat down.

"Well, Frodo. What is it you wished to speak to me about?" Paladin asked politely. I took a deep breath.

"I would like to ask your daughter Pearl's hand in marriage," I said. Paladin sighed.

"You know she is not quite of age," he said, "She_ is_ only 26."

"Yes, I am aware of that. But we have known each other since we were children. And I truly love her. Truly," I said, sincerely. To my relief, he smiled.

"Yes, I can see that. Then I have no objection, as long as she is agreeable. But I_ will_ expect you to provide for her and treat her with the utmost respect," he said.

"I will. Thank you, Uncle Paladin," I said. Then he grinned.

"Mushroom stealing Frodo Baggins marrying my Pearl. Never thought I'd see the day," he said. I grinned back at him and left the room joyfully.

When I entered the dining area, Pearl was looking quite apprehensive. She looked at me, a silent question in her eyes.

"Yes," I said. And I scooped her up, spun her around and kissed her, In front of everyone. She giggled and her mother, sisters, and brother gasped.

"What?" her mother asked, aghast.

"We're getting married, Aunt Eglantine," I said joyfully. Her mother sat there, still shocked, while Pervinca and Pimpernel squealed.

"How about going on a walk, Pearl?" I asked her.

"Let's," she said. She then kissed me on the cheek and we went triumphantly out of the inn.

We walked to The Water and sat down on a grassy patch below a tree and sat there in happy silence for a while.

"Frodo, I love you," she said. Then she kissed me.

* * *

Pearl's POV

Waiting for Frodo to come out of that room was agony. I was plagued by doubts that my father would not allow Frodo to marry me. I did not help that my mother kept glancing at the door every few seconds, her worry plainly showing on her face. Or that Pervinca and Pimpernel kept whispering to each other and looking at me. I silenced them with a look. Pippin just looked confused for a second, and then turned his attention back to his food.

Finally, I heard the door creak open. I looked at Frodo, asking him with my eyes. He smiled and said yes. Pure bliss enveloped me. That, I think, was the happiest moment of my life, made doubly so when he kissed me and _spun me around_ right in front of my mother. My mother looked shocked, but I that moment, I didn't care.

* * *

Frodo's POV

After she pulled away, she suddenly started laughing.

"What?" I asked her, trying to figure out what I'd done to make her laugh.

"Remember that one time, when we were children, you tried to kiss me?" she asked and burst into more peals of laughter. I smiled.

"Only because you dared me!" I said, pretending to pout. "I thought you were the prettiest lass I'd ever seen even then."

"Oh, Frodo," she said, not believing me.

"Truly!" I said. She shook her head, but she smiled shyly. After a pause, I asked her something that I'd been trying to remember ever since I first saw her at the party.

"Pearl, do you remember when we first met? It's all blurry to me," I asked. Suddenly, she looked sad.

"It would be blurry. Your parents drowned soon after. You rescued Pippin from drowning in the Brandywine River. And me when I jumped in to try to save him, since I couldn't swim myself," she said. "You never went swimming again after they drowned, did you?"

"No," I said, pulling myself out of my memories, "I never did. I was terrified of the River after that. Although I do remember how to swim."

"I'm sorry they died. I'm sure they would be happy to see you married," she said softly, laying her head against mine. I leaned into her and put my arm around her.

"Yes, they would," I said.

TBC


	3. The Wedding

The Journey Alone: Chapter 3 The Wedding

September 23-October 29, 3001 (T.A.) 1401 (S.R.)

Pearl's POV

My heart was saddened to see Frodo still so torn apart by his parents' deaths. I never realized how much it had affected him, but perhaps this was because I couldn't comprehend losing my own parents. I don't know what I would do if my own parents died. Hoping to distract him from his melancholy thoughts, I broached a new subject.

"Frodo, what day do you think we should have the wedding?" I asked him. This seemed to rouse him from his painful memories.

"I was thinking perhaps at the end of October, before it gets too cold," he said, turning those beloved blue eyes to me. Shire weddings were usually held outdoors, and I didn't want to have to have the wedding indoors because of the cold. Also, I didn't want to wait all the way to spring.

"Good idea, Frodo. I should discuss it with my parents, of course, and you with Bilbo, " I said.

"Bilbo left," he said, looking sad again.

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

"He left to go on one last adventure. He left without saying goodbye," he said. Tears started falling lazily from his eyes. I didn't know what to say to him, so I hugged him.

Bilbo never seemed to be the sort of hobbit that would just abandon Frodo. He was always a perfect gentlehobbit every time he spoke with me. Bilbo and Frodo acted almost as father and son; there existed between them a bond that I thought was unbreakable. Something must have happened for Bilbo to run off so suddenly, especially because Frodo was so upset.

Eventually, Frodo stopped crying. We sat for a while in silence, taking comfort in each other's presence before he again spoke.

"We've been sitting here for so long; I think we've missed second breakfast. Would you like to come to Bag End for elevenses?" he asked with a smile.

"Are you sure a bachelor like you can cook?" I teased him.

"Yes, I can, Bilbo taught me well. And if _my _cooking is not up to your standards, perhaps Sam's will be," he said, teasing back.

We walked back to Bag End at a leisurely pace. We arrived to find Sam working on the beautiful garden of Bag End. He looked pleased to see us finally arrive.

"Well, Mr. Frodo I was beginning to worry!" Sam said, standing up and rushing off his hands. I could see that he was silently asking Frodo if my father had granted his permission. Frodo grinned.

"Sam, I'd like you to meet Pearl Took, my fiancé," he said. Then he kissed me on the cheek. I blushed, as did Sam. Frodo just grinned wider and laughed.

"Nice to meet you, miss," Sam said, giving a slight bow. I nodded my head.

"And you, Sam. Please call me Pearl," I said. Sam started to protest, but he was interrupted by Frodo.

"Shall we go inside to eat, then? I'm starving!" Frodo said.

"Yes, let's go fatten you up Frodo! You're thinner than a willow wand," I said, half-teasing him, half-thinking he _was _a bit thin.

"I've been trying to do that for years, Mi… I mean Pearl. You can see what effect _that _has had on him," Sam said. Frodo pretended to pout. I laughed and patted his arm.

Reluctant to leave Frodo and Sam to the cooking, I insisted on helping them in some way. They put me to work cutting up fruit. We discussed the latest news of the Shire as we worked. Finally, Sam asked the question I'm sure he wanted to ask the entire time.

"So, Mr. Frodo, have you decided what day the wedding will be?" Sam asked, clearly bursting to know the answer.

"Sometime at the end of October, before it gets too cold," Frodo answered while cutting a loaf of bread.

"Good idea," Sam said.

**o0o**

When I eventually did go back to Tookland, Frodo rode out to see me nearly every day. My parents were quite impressed that he did this, and all their doubts and misgivings about him were assuaged.

The wedding date was set for October 29th. I had plenty of help with the preparations; I needed all the help I could get since the wedding was to be less than a month away. Besides my mother and sisters, a large multitude of aunts and female cousins assisted me with everything from flowers to the gifts for the guests.

My wedding dress, however, was being personally seen to by my mother, who spent nearly every waking hour on it. Frodo's outfit was being made by a couple of Sam's sisters, with a lot of input by me.

As for the guests, Frodo and I agreed that we didn't want as large a guest list as Bilbo's party. We kept it to inviting our closest friends and relatives. Needless to say, the Sackville-Bagginses were not invited.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

I woke up quite early and started breakfast, only to find that I didn't want to eat one crumb. I decided to leave it for Sam and my cousins, who undoubtedly would want some food when they arrived.

Not too long after, a knock on the door told me that Sam had arrived, along with the Gaffer and a sleepy merry and Pippin. They unsurprisingly perked up at the mention of food, though and took off for the kitchen.

"You've eaten then, Mr. Frodo?" the Gaffer asked me.

"Yes," I said quickly, not meeting his eyes.

"Begging your pardon, sir, but you haven't," Sam said knowingly, "You need to eat. You don't want to faint on your wedding day." I sighed.

"I'm too nervous to eat. I don't want to have it all come back up later during the wedding," I said. The Gaffer chuckled.

"Ah! Don't worry Sam. He'll be back to eating normally _after _the wedding. I remember being nervous meself on my wedding day," the Gaffer smiled sympathetically. I gave him a weak smile and went to go check on Merry and Pippin.

Sure enough, Merry and Pippin were eating all the food in sight.

"Come join us Frodo! These muffins are delicious!" Merry said, promptly taking another of the said muffins. My stomach roiled at the thought of food, so I shook my head and settled for a cup of tea. Sam and the Gaffer soon joined me in the kitchen. They jumped into Merry and Pippin's conversation. I stayed quiet, mostly, and thought about Pearl and the wedding. Their efforts did seem to keep my mind off my nervousness at least a little bit.

The wedding was to be in the early afternoon, so soon after elevenses I went into my bedroom to change into my new wedding clothes. I had allowed Pearl to choose the color and style, and I was quite pleased. The waistcoat was a blue to "match my eyes." I also had a white silk dress shirt, blue-grey trousers, and a blue-grey jacket. As I checked myself in the mirror, I was glad that I had allowed Pearl to choose my clothes. They _did _look striking with my eyes. Sam's sisters had done a wonderful job.

I brushed my hair, both on my head and feet, washed my face, and took a deep breath. The next tie I returned to Bag End, it would be with my wife. _Mrs. Baggins. _I smiled.

When I appeared in the kitchen again, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me. I grinned at them. Sam was the first to speak.

"Mr. Frodo!" he exclaimed, "Your eyes are so blue!" I narrowed my eyes.

"You hadn't noticed?" I asked wryly.

"_Really _blue," Pippin said, coming out of his stupor. Merry and the Gaffer were still staring at me, mouths hanging open. The Gaffer suddenly laughed.

"Look at us! Goggling over how pretty Mr. Frodo is like a bunch of ladyhobbits! We're no better than Pervinca and Pimpernel!" he said, laughing. "Meaning no offense to your future sister-in-laws, of course." I groaned.

After everyone had cleaned up a bit, we were ready to head off to the wedding site, which was right under the Party Tree.

**o0o**

Pearl's POV

I approached the aisle where I would walk down with Frodo in a few moments. And I will never forget the moment when I first saw him in his wedding attire. His blue eyes were glowing and sparkling with a few happy tears. His face was serious, but when he saw me, his face lit up and he smiled at me. I smiled back. And then we joined arms and walked slowly down the aisle.

I automatically searched for my parents. When I found them, my mother had tears streaming down her face, and my father looked proud. And then I realized that Frodo had no parents to look to: not even Bilbo was there.

We made it to the front, where the mayor, Will Whitfoot was there to marry us. He spoke the customary words of marriage ceremonies, but it was all a blur to me. I just kept looking into his eyes, trying to wrap my brain around Frodo being my husband.

"Will you take Frodo Baggins to be your husband?" Will asked me.

"I will," I said, a stray tear running down my face.

"Will you take Pearl Took to be your wife?" Will asked Frodo.

"I will," he answered.

Then Will said the words about my name being changed to Baggins. And then we kissed. And I was in pure bliss.

**o0o**

**TBC**

**Reviews please!**

A/N: I hope this doesn't seem cheesy. It won't be as sappy eventually. And I tried to make the wedding ceremony as authentic as possible. I didn't want them to exchange rings for obvious reasons.


	4. After the Wedding

The Journey Alone: Chapter 4 After the Wedding

October 29, 3001 (T.A.) 1401 (S.R.)

Frodo's POV

When I kissed Pearl, I had never been so happy in my entire life. Everyone started cheering, and the younger hobbits threw flower petals in the air, no doubt provided by Sam. We walked back slowly between the guests, where I swept Pear of her feet and kissed her heartily, since the crowd had begun to chant "kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!" She was laughing so much that she could barely kiss me back. We held hands and walked over the Hill on top of Bag End to wait for the cooks and servants Pearl's family had hired to help at the party to set up.

Once there, I began my new favorite pastime: kissing Pearl.

**o0o**

Once we finally broke away from kissing and giggling, we had no idea what time it was or how long we had been away.

"We'd better go to the tent. We wouldn't want to miss our own party!" Pearl said. We walked to the party tent holding hands and slipped in as quietly as we could. Pearl's father gave us a knowing look and we both blushed.

The party had started without us, so I called over a hobbit who was serving drinks. I grabbed two for Pearl and I and quietly began to observe everyone around us.

All the hobbits were nibbling on something, and many were drinking ale. They tended to sit together in family groups, but were mingling with everyone when not sitting down and eating. I noticed Merry and Pippin, who were whispering to each other, probably planning some joke. I hoped that whatever they planned on doing that it wouldn't be played on us. A band of hobbits began to play songs traditionally played at weddings and regular parties. Pippin, of course, began to show off his dancing to some young lady hobbits around his age. He nearly crashed into several hobbits, however, so I thought I ought to show off my dancing. I turned to Pearl, who was rolling her eyes at Pippin's antics.

"Shall we dance?" I asked her.

"Let's," she said. I led her to the dance floor and began one of the traditional dances done at weddings. More couples joined us gradually, dancing vigorously and trying to keep up with the pace Pearl and I set. Pippin settled down somewhat and asked a Chubb lass to dance.

**o0o**

Later on during, the party, after a large meal, as large as only hobbits can eat, a rather fast paced dance began. First, the gentlehobbits dance alone to start the dance. Then they stand off to the side while the lady hobbits dance alone. Finally, they form couples and dance, before a circle is formed and the hobbits dance in a circle with different partners for each rotation. Pippin, who was quite obviously drunk, began the dance alright, although he was certainly not dancing his best. Actually, he was quite clumsy and almost tripped over his own feet. Once the third part of the dance with the couples began, he began dancing more erratically. He spun far too quickly for the tempo of the song, all the while laughing hysterically. His partner was trying to get him to slow down to no avail. Finally, he lost his balance and fell directly into the wedding cake.

The band stopped playing immediately and everyone stopped dancing and stared at Pippin, who had cake covering his entire body. At first, everyone was shocked into silence, but Pippin started laughing at his own stupidity. That started everyone laughing.

"Only Pippin could succeed in making a spectacle of himself, drawing all attention to him at his own sister's wedding," I said.

"Just imagine my mother's face right now," Pearl said. That sent us into more peals of laughter.

**o0o**

After a new, albeit smaller, cake had been bought over from somewhere, the dancing began again. Eating was being done almost constantly, as the party lasted all afternoon and into the late evening. Everyone had a splendid time, and the party was still going strong when Pearl and I decided to leave. We bid our farewells to Pearl's parents and siblings among many tears. We slipped off quietly as possible, not wishing to have a big to-do over our departure.

**o0o**

Pearl's POV

After we left the party around nine o'clock, Frodo and I hurried into Bag End, trying to avoid annoying relatives. I won't retell everything that happened that night, as it is quite private, but I will say that we found out what Merry and Pippin were planning for their joke. They jumped out of our closet and gave me quite a scare. Thankfully, they did it before they saw anything embarrassing. Frodo shooed them out of the house quite angrily. But I wasn't too mad at them. In fact, it was actually pretty funny.

**o0o**

December 20, 3001 (T.A.) 1401 (S.R.)

A few days before Yule, we had some friends over for supper, since we would be going to my parents' house for the actual holiday. Sam and Gaffer Gamgee were there, as well as Rosie and Tolman Cotton and Merry and Pippin. Rosie and I were putting the last few touches on the meal while waiting for the duck to be done roasting over the fire. The men had retreated to the parlor after trying to help and making a gigantic mess of the kitchen. They were smoking their pipes and discussing the probability of snow that winter.

"Pearl?" Rosie asked.

"Yes?" I said, not looking up from the cake I was frosting. The amount of frosting was actually making me nauseous, but Frodo loves extra frosting on his cake, so I continued to put it on. I was also trying to subtly make Frodo put on weight.

"Do you think that Sam will propose soon?" she asked me.

"I'm sure he will eventually. It's obvious he loves you. He just has to get the courage to ask, which he doesn't have quite yet," I said.

"Really? He actually loves me?" Rosie asked, astonished.

"He's never even told you?" I asked. Rosie shook her head. "Well. Perhaps I will drop a hint to him myself," I said. Suddenly, the scent of the duck became overpowering to me, and combined with the enormous amount of frosting right in front of me, I nearly threw up. I gripped the table in front of me to steady myself.

"Pearl?" Rosie asked, concerned. I held up my hand, for her to stop, as bile rose up in my throat. I nearly threw up again, but I thankfully did not. I took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Rose. It's just all that frosting nearly made me sick," I explained apologetically.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Pearl asked, unsure of what she should do. I nodded.

"I think that that is enough frosting for one cake, no matter what Frodo may say," I said, laughing nervously. Rosie shrugged. She picked up a fork and gently jabbed the duck's skin.

"I think it's done," Rosie said. But I didn't respond. The smell of the roasted duck was again bothering me, and I raced to the bathroom, where I threw up the entire contents of my stomach. I shakily cleaned myself up. I was determined that I would make it through the evening: I didn't want our guests to go home so abruptly, without eating. It would be terribly rude. I decided to fake it.

When I finally came out, Rosie was standing worriedly outside the door.

"Are you alright?" she asked me.

"Fine," I said, trying to smile. It probably looked more like a grimace. _I must be taking lessons from Frodo. He always says he's fine when he's not, _I thought wryly. "Let's go call everyone in for supper," I said, hoping to avoid Rosie's concern.

**o0o**

Once everyone was seated, Frodo was quick to tell me how delicious everything looked. I smiled at him, and we began passing the food around. I took only small amounts of the food, hoping to avoid eating as much as possible so I wouldn't throw up again. Everyone was cheerfully chatting, so they didn't notice. At least, no one said anything to me. Rosie kept shooting me concerned glances.

Frodo also caught my eye and glanced at my still full plate, so I knew he noticed. He seemed confused about why I wouldn't eat that much. Once the meal was over, Frodo insisted on allowing Rosie to go sit in the parlor instead of washing the dishes. Rosie looked supremely happy at this, since she would have a chance to talk with Sam, but she was reluctant to leave me. I shooed her on, giving her a knowing look, and she blushed. Frodo laughed softly.

He followed me into the kitchen to help with the dishes. I was still determined not to let on I was sick until the guests had left. I gave Frodo a dish cloth and began washing the dishes while he dried. Frodo had other ideas, however.

"Pearl, are you alright? You didn't eat much at supper," Frodo asked while he dried.

"I'm fine," I said, continuing to wash the dishes and not meeting Frodo's eye. The dish I was washing was not the best smelling, as it had a bit of food left on it, and I immediately got nauseous again. I dropped the dish in the sink and grabbed the side of the sink. Frodo set down his dish he was drying and wrapped his arms around my waist. I threw up right there on the floor.

"Oh Pearl," Frodo sighed. He continued to hold me and rub my back as I threw up on the floor. Finally I finished and started crying. Frodo grabbed the dishcloth and gently wiped my mouth. I threw my head on his shoulder and cried. At that point, Rosie came in the kitchen and saw the mess on the floor and knew what was going on.

"I suspected as much. Here, Frodo: you take her to her bedroom and I'll clean up this mess. I can get everyone in here to help finish the dishes. I'll send Sam over with some clean cloths in a minute," Rosie said. I started to protest, since the guests doing the chores was not proper, but Rosie shooed us out of the kitchen. Frodo scooped me up and carried me into our bedroom. He set me on the bed while he got some fresh clothes for me. Then he helped me change into the fresh night gown.

Soon Sam came in with some extra blankets, clean cloths, and some tea for Frodo.

"I hope you feel better soon, Mistress Pearl," Sam said. I smiled my thanks and closed my eyes, relieved to finally be in bed.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

Pearl being sick was quite frightening to me. I had been sick enough as a child and tween, but I had never known Pearl to be this sick before. I also was nervous because I never had to care for a sick person on my own before. I tried to remember how my mother and Bilbo had cared for me when I was young and hoped for the best. I knew I could rely on Sam and the Gaffer to help me if I needed it.

Pearl didn't need my attention right away, because she fell asleep almost as soon as she hit the pillow. Rosie came in about a half hour later and told me that the kitchen had been cleaned up and the dishes washed, dried, and put away. I thanked her and told her to give the others my farewell.

Since Pearl was still asleep, I decided to take a look at my Ring that Bilbo had left me. I had been wondering quite a lot about that Ring ever since Gandalf had left so suddenly. It was still in the envelope that Gandalf had put it in. I was just about to take it out of the envelope when Pearl cried out in her sleep. I quickly put the Ring back and went to see to Pearl.

**o0o**

Sorry this took so long I was on vacation for a while. Hopefully this chapter isn't too corny. Let me know what you think. Any ideas would be appreciated. ;)


	5. Pearl's Dreams and Yule

The Journey Alone: Chapter 5 Pearl's Dreams and Yule

December 20, 3001 (T.A.) 1401 (S.R.)

Pearl's POV

After I fell asleep, I dreamed the most real-seeming dream that I have ever had. I knew that I was dreaming, yet I could not wake up and escape it.

In the dream, I was walking along a road that seemed to be in the Shire, but I was not sure exactly where I was. The road was bordered on both sides by trees. Birds were chirping cheerfully, and the wind was whistling through the leaves. Even though I was simply walking in the harmless Shire, I felt a sense of foreboding, and so I wanted to hide. I knew not what I wanted to hide from, yet I was still afraid. Suddenly I heard the sound of horses' hooves from behind me, galloping at a high rate of speed. Instantly, my fear redoubled, and I tried to leave the road and disappear into the trees.

I turned to the side and tried to walk into the forest. An unseen force held me back, and even though I attempted to run and break through, the force still held me back. I could not see anything in the way, but I felt a barrier in the way just the same. The horses continued to approach me. The nearer they came, the more my apprehension grew. I continued to slam into the barrier until I was black and blue. I started to scream and cry in frustration, but nothing I did made any difference.

Finally, the horses appeared. They immediately struck pure terror into me. Riding the horses were dark figures that I could not quite make out, although they were obviously not a hobbit. I knew that those figures were evil and I needed to get away. I screamed and ran further down the road, but I knew that I could not run faster than a horse. I knew that I would be overtaken, and then I knew not what would happen to me, but I knew I did not want the horses to catch up to me.

Suddenly, the road, trees, and horses disappeared. I saw before me a beautiful lady, who was possibly an elf. She had on a long, flowy, white dress. Her skin was clear, pale and beautiful and her hair was light blonde, almost white. Her entire body seemed to glow. Her eyes were kind, but fierce and I knew she would be a formidable enemy. She seemed to be struggling against something unseen, and her soft smile turned into a slight frown. This lasted only momentarily. And she went back to her calm expression quickly. As soon as I saw her I felt at peace. She looked at me and smiled. Then she raised her arm as if to send me off. That was when I awoke.

Frodo was on the bed beside me, gently shaking me. His face had a concerned look to it, but his eyes had a strange gleam, which faded gradually.

"Are you alright Pearl? You were crying and screaming until a few minutes ago," he said, ceasing to shake me.

"I was?" I asked, confused. I brought my hands to my face, and it felt wet. So I had been crying. _But the lady was so nice_, I thought. Then I remembered the first part of my dream. I immediately shuddered and shut my eyes.

"Did you have a nasty dream?" Frodo asked, rubbing my back.

"Yes, but it wasn't nasty at the end. There was a beautiful lady, and she stopped them from catching me," I replied.

"A beautiful lady? I…" Frodo said, looking perplexed.

"What?" I asked, curious now.

"Nothing. It's just… I had a dream about a beautiful lady before too," he said. I pretended to pout.

"Was this "beautiful" lady _me_?" I asked, teasing him. Frodo laughed.

"No, she wasn't nearly as beautiful as _you _but she wasn't you. Although I_ have_ dreamed about you before," he said, in the same playful tone. I laughed, but I was interrupted by a yawn. "Perhaps you should go back to sleep. You are still sick, you know," Frodo said. "Wake me if you need me." I nodded sleepily and closed my eyes.

**o0o**

When I woke in the morning, the sun was already up and shining straight through my window. Frodo wasn't there, so I supposed he had already gotten up and was eating breakfast or perhaps second breakfast since it was so late. I slid out of bed and was pleasantly surprised to find that I was hungry. I had just gotten changed and was beginning to make the bed when Frodo came in.

"What are you doing up? You're still sick!" Frodo said. He grasped my arm and pulled me toward the bed.

"Well aren't you the mother hen!" I said. "For your information, I got up because I was hungry! And I don't intend on going back to bed until evening." Frodo crossed his arms and put on his "stubborn Baggins" look. I couldn't help it. I laughed. Finally, Frodo grinned slowly and laughed as well.

"Fine. At least let me make you breakfast in bed. Actually it'll be elevenses now that you slept so late!" Frodo grudgingly agreed.

"I thought _you_ were the person who wanted me to stay in bed," I said, pouting, but I climbed into bed and picked up a book to read while I waited for Frodo to bring the food.

Frodo came in a few moments later with a tray heavily laden with muffins, fresh fruit, milk, tea, bread and butter, and warm oatmeal. Frodo sat beside me as I ate and stole little nibbles of food, since a hobbit is always hungry.

"Well, obviously you're a lot better today. Do you fell up to going all the way to your parents for Yule? We'll have to leave tomorrow you know," Frodo said.

"Of course we're going to my parents. And I am perfectly alright. It was probably just a bit of spoiled food I ate yesterday," I retorted.

"Some of my Baggins stubbornness must have rubbed off on you," Frodo said. But then he agreed that we'd go to my parents, if I'd allow us to take a horse and buggy instead of riding as we planned.

For the rest of the day and for the next few days I proved myself to be healthy to Frodo, although I did feel mildly nauseous sometimes. I always attributed it to my dislike for some food or smell, though, and never thought of something else it could possibly be.

We left for my parents with no trouble at all.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

Pearl and I had a marvelous time on the way to Tookland.I drove the horse, and insisted that Pearl stay wrapped up in plenty of blankets. I had to drive slowly because of the icy roads, so we planned to make a day of the drive. We sang carols, laughed and told jokes to pass the time. About halfway there, Pearl asked me an interesting question.

"Frodo," she said, "what was your favorite Christmas as a child?"

"Hmmm…,"I pondered. "I think it was my last Christmas with my parents before they died. Bilbo was there, and we spent it at Brandy Hall with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was almost magical because I was old enough to appreciate Christmas for the time spent with family, but young enough that I still had a child-like joy for presents. I remember that Bilbo gave me a book of Elvish tales, translated by him of course and my parents gave me a sled. And they let me stay up later than I ever had before, listening to Bilbo's stories until I fell asleep. You see, I was close to Bilbo even before they died. My bond with him was strengthened after he adopted me of course, but even then, he was that special uncle that I could always count on." Pearl nodded, and we stayed silent for a while, remembering our other Christmas memories. Finally I asked Pearl the same question.

"What about you?" I asked her. "What was your favorite Christmas?"

"My favorite Christmas was the Christmas that we came to Brandy Hall. Pippin was just a baby, and Pervinca and Pimpernel were old enough to be annoying, but not too annoying. I think you were there, too, but you seemed far too old for me to talk to, so I didn't talk to you much." I laughed, and she smiled. She continued:

"My sisters and I snuck into the pantry and ate every sugary thing in sight. We heard someone coming, though, so we scampered out of there as quickly as possible. But it wasn't any adult. It was you and some other tweens who came to do exactly what we had just been doing: stuffing your faces with Christmas sweets!" she continued. At that point, both of us were laughing so much that I had to pull over for a minute.

**o0o**

We stopped for lunch at an inn and then continued on. We didn't talk as much during that part of the journey; I assumed that it was because Pearl was tired and because it started to snow. It didn't snow too heavily, but the wind was making a lot of noise.

"Pearl, do you want to have a small snack out of the food we packed?" I asked her. She didn't respond, so I spoke a bit louder. "Pearl, do you want to have a small snack out of the food we packed?" I asked again. She still didn't respond. "Pearl?"

I stopped the horses and leaned over to her and looked at her face. It was going white and her eyes were half open and glazed. Her lips were blue. I shook her desperately. "Pearl! Stay with me!"

"Wha'?" she slurred. I grabbed her arm to pull her closer to me. I inwardly cursed myself for forgetting to have her wrap herself in the blankets after lunch, while I grabbed the blankets to wrap her back up.

"Pearl! Talk to me so you don't freeze to death!" I yelled over the wind.

"Don' wanna. Wanna go ta sleep," she said and nestled closer to me.

"Oh Elbereth," I said. "Tell me about what you want to do when we get to Tookland, Pearl." I tried to stay calm as I started the horses, hoping to reach somewhere where we could stop and warm Pearl up. I was really worried that Pearl was going to freeze to death. I had heard of freezing to death in stories, and a few vague stories from various healers of people freezing in extreme cold. I wasn't quite sure what to do, but I instinctively knew that I should try to keep Pearl conscious.

Pearl was faintly trying to tell me what she wanted to do, and I encouraged her and tried to keep her warm. I urged the horses to go faster and hoped that they wouldn't slip on some ice and topple the wagon.

Finally, I saw a lone house and climbed down from the wagon. I tried to help Pearl walk, but she wasn't capable of it, so I had to carry her. The snow continued to fall, but I made it to the door. I knocked on the door loudly. No one answered, so I tried again. Then I tried yelling and knocking, in case the owners couldn't hear me over the storm. A glance at Pearl's pale face told me that I needed to hurry.

I went over to a window and tried knocking there. No one answered, so I peered through. The furniture inside was covered with white cloths and there were dust bunnies everywhere. It was obvious that no one was home.

I raced back to the wagon with Pearl still in my arms and started the horses again, hoping that we would make it in time for Pearl.

**o0o**

Cliffie! TBC


	6. Surprise

The Journey Alone: Chapter 6

December 21, 3001 (T.A.) 1401 (S.R.)

Frodo's POV

I set the horses at a gallop, no longer caring if there was ice on the road. Pearl was no longer murmuring to me, so I tried to get her to talk to me again.

"Pearl, you have to keep talking to me," I said, the desperation in my voice becoming apparent. Pearl did not respond. I nearly started to cry in fear for her, but then I thought of something. "Pearl," I said, in the sternest voice possible, "recite your family tree for me." This seemed to get the response I wanted. Pearl seemed to wake up, and she started slurring through what sounded like the Took family tree, which all Took children learn as part of their education. I smiled. Hobbits love their family trees.

Luckily, although I did not realize it at the time, we were only twenty minutes away from Tookland. It was with a huge sigh of relief that I saw Pearl's old hole. I slowed the horses and we screeched to a halt the closest that I could to the door of the house. Pearl's family must have heard us approach because everyone ran out, leaving the door ajar and spilling warm light from the fire into the cold outside. A clamor of voices raised in greeting at first rang out, but when they saw my serious expression and Pearl's seemingly lifeless body in my arms, they stopped and stared at us.

"Pearl?" Pippin asked fearfully. Pervinca and Pimpernel were silenced with shock.

"Oh my stars!" Pearl's mother said, covering her mouth. Everyone seemed to be rooted to their spots, so I carefully got down from the wagon with Pearl in my arms. Immediately, everyone surrounded us. This seemed to have a good effect on Pearl, because she was more aware of her surroundings.

"Mum?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yes, dear, it's your mum," Aunt Eglantine said, tears now streaming down her face.

"We have to get her inside where it's warm, Aunt Eglantine," I said urgently. I carried her inside gently and went up to the fire. Someone brought me a chair and blankets, and I covered her up snugly.

**o0o**

An hour later, Pearl was sitting up with a warm mug of tea by the fire, considerably more aware of her surroundings. Her skin was now longer blue and was beginning to take on a lovely shade of pink. She was quite warmed up and hungry enough to eat supper with everyone that night.

We spent a wonderful Christmas with the Took side of the family. Pippin, especially, was happy to see me. I gave him a few good tips on stealing mushrooms, for which he was extremely grateful. I told him that if we came sometime when mushrooms were in season, we'd make a few excursions and get some. I wasn't too old _yet_ to go mushroom stealing.

Of course, we could not leave Tookland without some gentle teasing about future grandchildren. I wondered what Pearl would say to them, and was rewarded with an amusing rebuttal.

"Well, Pearl, when are we going to get some grandchildren? I have missed holding babies so," Aunt Eglantine said. Pearl looked momentarily mortified, but then she retorted.

"Mother we've only been married barely two months! Give us some time!" Pearl said indignantly. "And don't look so smug, Frodo Baggins." I blushed deeply red.

**o0o**

We stayed in Tookland for a month, and made it back with no mishaps. Actually, we took more care than was absolutely necessary, probably. We headed back on a day when it was not likely to storm and was a bit warm for January. I insisted Pearl be wrapped up in about twenty blankets, and got some hot bricks for her feet. She was complaining about how hot she was for most of the trip, but I considered that to be better than to cold.

**o0o**

Pearl's POV

During the entire time we were in Tookland, I was a bit nauseous only occasionally. I still attributed it to the illness that I'd had, and never thought it could be anything else. However, one day at the end of January, Frodo was in his study working on translating some Elvish poem or whatnot, and I had a cup of tea and was enjoying the fire. I was thinking about a lot of things, and then something dawned on me.

_Three months_, I thought. _Could I? _I almost didn't believe it, so I decided I'd invite Rosie Cotton over for tea and see what she thought. We were actually very close friends, and I thought I could rely on her opinion. Resolved to do just that, I wrote a quick note to her and told Frodo that I was going for a walk. I bundled up and left the note at the Cottons. I didn't stay outside long because it was so cold. When I came back inside I sat in my chair and stared into the fire, thinking about a lot of things.

Eventually, I roused myself and walked into Frodo's study. He was still bent over his translation work, and a long-forgotten mug of tea was sitting cold next to him.

"Frodo, I've invited Rosie Cotton over for tea. I feel like I haven't seen her forever because of this cold weather," I said. Frodo didn't lift his head up.

"That's fine. If you don't mind, I think I'll take my tea here. I want to finish this today," he said. I told him that was fine. I picked up his mug and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

At tea time, Rosie knocked on the door and I let her in. I had already gotten most of the things together on the kitchen table instead of the dining room table because it was only the two of us. Rosie sat down and I brought over the tea pot.

"Well, Pearl, what's this sudden invitation to tea for?" Rosie asked me as I poured the tea.

"Oh, I just haven't seen you for a while and I was sick of being cooped up in the house," I replied. Rosie was silent for a minute and sipped her tea a couple of times.

"That's not the real reason is it, Pearl?" she said. I smiled.

"No, but I couldn't say the real reason too loudly," I said. "I think I may be pregnant." Rosie immediately broke into a huge smile.

"Oh Pearl! I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed. She got up and gave me a hug.

"Shhh!" I said. "Frodo doesn't know, and I'm not entirely sure yet." Rosie sat back down.

"Well, how long has it been since your last one?" she asked. I cringed at my answer.

"Three months," I said sheepishly. "I know! I should've noticed earlier, but I just didn't realize."

"Three months? That long? You need to get the midwife here to find out for sure then. And Pearl! You should've figured it out when you were sick at Christmas!" Rosie said.

"I think my sickness at Christmas was something else. But I did continue to feel nauseous at odd times. Oh I was so stupid!" I said.

"It's alright, Pearl. How are you going to get the midwife here without letting Frodo know?" she asked.

"That's where I was hoping you could help. Maybe you could get one of your brothers to invite him over to do something," I said.

"I'm sure that could be arranged," Rosie said, smiling.

Two days later, Frodo received a letter from the Cottons asking him to come over. It was vague and did not tell him the reason he was asked to come. He left almost as soon as the letter came, and then a knock on the door alerted me that the midwife had arrived. I let her in and explained that I wanted to keep her visit secret so Frodo wouldn't worry and so it could be a surprise if I really was with child.

Fifteen minutes later I knew for sure. I was pregnant and about three months along. The midwife congratulated me and left before Frodo came back. I waited impatiently for Frodo to come back. He came back half an hour later and came into the kitchen where I was.

"Pearl, what's going on? Rosie and her brothers called me over there for no reason and then they kept stalling me from going home," he said, confused. I threw back my head and laughed. Frodo looked even more confused. Suddenly I grew serious and put my arms around him and looked straight into his blue eyes.

"I'm pregnant," I said. His eyes stared into mine, getting bigger and bigger.

"You are?" he asked in a whisper. I nodded, my eyes brimming with tears. Immediately he kissed me. "I'm glad. I'm so happy," he said. We stayed there in the kitchen just hugging for a while. Finally we broke apart. "We need to celebrate. I'm making you a gigantic meal. You need to eat for two now you know," he said. I laughed. He started gathering things to cook.

"You sure you don't want any help?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I'm perfectly able to cook my own wife a meal. And for once, I'm going to let you rest," he said. I shook my head and smiled. "When will we have a little Frodo or Pearl with us?" he asked.

"Sometime six months from now," I replied. He stopped moving and looked at me.

"You're three months along already?" he said, amazed.

"Yes. I didn't realize. I guess our wedding night was more productive than we thought," I said. He blushed. "You're so cute," I said, laughing.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

I couldn't believe it. Pearl was pregnant. I was going to be a father less than year later. Actually, I already was a father. My child was there, inside Pearl. I was excited and scared and nervous and enormously happy at the same time. In fact, I almost didn't believe it until a few weeks later when Pearl began to get the slightest of a round belly. You couldn't really tell it was there unless she turned to the side.

I noticed this for the first time while she was making tea one day. I was about to go into the kitchen, and she was turned to the side. I stopped walking and stared at the curve that was her stomach. She didn't notice me. She turned her back to me to get something off the table and I quietly snuck behind her and wrapped my arms around her. She jumped in surprise, but then she hugged me back as well as she could from her awkward position facing the same way as me.

"What's this for?" she asked.

"For being so beautiful. And for this," I said, pointing to her belly. I kissed her on the cheek.

"Well thank you. I'm quite proud of my belly as well," she said, jokingly. I laughed. "However, I am starving, so if you would kindly release me so I can finish cooking, I would be obliged," she said. I released her, but not before I gave her a kiss. "Impertinent hobbit," she said, but I could tell she was happy.

One day, just after elevenses, Pearl was washing dishes when she dropped one and yelped. She put a hand on her stomach as I rushed into the kitchen.

"What's wrong? Is something wrong with the baby? Are you in pain?" I asked frantically.

"No. Here, feel," she said, pressing my hand on her belly. I felt a fluttering and I knew it was the baby. "He just surprised me, is all," she said.

"He? You think it's a boy?" I asked, curious.

"I'm not sure, of course, but if it is, I hope it has your eyes," she said. I smiled.

"You really want all the hobbit lasses chasing after his beautiful blue eyes?" I said, fluttering my eyelashes.

"Oh, Frodo!" she said, rolling her eyes.

**o0o**

A/N: I have no idea when a mother first feels the baby kick. I just guessed that it was around 3 or 4 months. TBC


	7. The Visit

The Journey Alone: Chapter 7

March 20, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

Frodo's POV

Pearl and I continued to enjoy our life together, and both of us were looking forward to the birth of the baby. Pearl was liable to overtax herself because of her condition, so I spent lots of time insisting she rest. I cooked a lot of meals and did a lot more things usually done by Pearl for those few months. This was why I was nervous when Lobelia Sackville-Baggins knocked on the door one day in March.

**o0o**

I was in my study when I happened to look up and see Lobelia Sackville-Baggins marching up the Hill, with her umbrella under her arm. She looked disdainfully at Sam working in the garden, sniffed, and continued up the Hill.

"Pearl!" I called out. I got up to find her, knowing she wouldn't be able to get to me before Lobelia made it to the door. I found her in the kitchen, struggling to get up with her growing belly. I helped her get up and guided her to the living room.

"Lobelia is here, no doubt to find out for herself if I've married and already conceived an heir," I explained. Pearl nodded. I helped her settle into an overstuffed arm chair. Then I heard a knock at the door. "There she is," I groaned.

I took my time getting to the door, no more eager to speak to her than she was to find out that I had an heir. I opened the round door slowly, and tried to school my features to a surprised face. "Lobelia!" I said. "How are you? Won't you come inside?" Lobelia was already pushing her way inside and nosily looking around.

"I can take your umbrella," I said, trying to be polite.

"No, thank you, Frodo. I prefer to carry it myself," she said.

"Come meet Pearl," I said, leading her into the living room. I showed Lobelia into the living room, and sat in the chair beside Pearl. She raised an eyebrow at me when she saw Lobelia. I barely hid my smile, but nearly laughed out loud when I turned around to see Lobelia. She was staring at the obviously pregnant Pearl with shocked expression on her face.

"Won't you sit down, Lobelia? This is Pearl," I said. Lobelia lowered herself onto the nearest chair.

"Well, Frodo, I never thought you would take a mistress and adopt her child as your heir. You must have felt so sorry for her after the Tooks kicked her out," Lobelia said. I sat there, shocked at how offensive she was being. I was speechless for a moment, before I rose to my feet and angrily addressed her.

"How dare you Lobelia! Pearl is my_ wife,_ we got married in October! I never thought even _you _would stoop so low," I said, my fury growing as Lobelia continued to sit on the chair. At that moment I heard a sniff from behind me, and I realized that Pearl was crying, but was trying to hide it. Lobelia looked so smug, I wanted to slap her.

"I see that it hits close to the truth," Lobelia said, nodding toward Pearl.

"Lobelia, I demand that you get out of my house _now_!" I said and I stepped toward her and pointed to the door. Lobelia grinned at me and left quickly, no doubt fearing my wrath. I turned toward Pearl and wrapped my arms around her shaking form. She continued to sob, and I tried to reassure her.

"I'm so sorry Pearl. Lobelia can be offensive, but she's never said something like that to my face before. If I'd known what she was going to do, I never would've let her in," I said. Pearl nodded.

"I'm sorry, Frodo. I shouldn't be crying so much at such a ridiculous thing, but…," Pearl said, but she started sobbing all the more. I hugged her again and kissed her cheek.

"Oh, Pearl!" I said. I continued to hold her until Pearl had stopped crying and was only sniffing. "Would you like some tea?" I asked. She nodded. I went into the kitchen and poured a cup of tea for her. I gave it to her, and he calmed down a lot more as she drank it.

"You know what Pearl? I am going to go talk to Otho and see if I can get an apology out of Lobelia before she spreads that filth around Hobbiton," I said.

"Good idea. How dare Lobelia go around saying that I'm your mistress! Everyone knows we're married," Pearl said.

"I'll see if I can find Pippin to come with me, too. He's probably somewhere around here: he's always coming up to Hobbiton to see us," I said. Pearl smiled.

"Now I fear for Lobelia. When Pippin finds out what she said about us, his wrath will be uncontainable," she said. I laughed.

"Somehow I have no sympathy for Lobelia whatsoever," I said. "Will you be alright if I go right now?"

"I'll be fine. You worry too much," she said. I kissed her forehead.

"That's my job, though," I said. She smiled softly. I got ready to go and said my goodbyes to Pearl.

**o0o**

Pearl's POV

Lobelia's comments shocked and deeply offended me. Lobelia didn't even know me and she still said that to my face, so I was not impressed with her at all. No matter how untrue what she said was, it still hurt and I suppose they pushed me to the breaking point. The littlest things can make you cry when you're pregnant.

After Frodo left I continued to drink my tea and watch the fire. I must've fallen asleep, because when I woke up, the fire had gone out and I was starving. I got up, but I must have gotten up too quickly because I was light headed. The next thing I knew I was on the floor. I had passed out.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

I went outside and told Sam what had happened. He was so angry at what Lobelia had said that he volunteered to come with me. We went into the village and saw Pippin enjoying the products of his mischief-making: he was eating stolen mushrooms.

Pippin was indignant when I told him what Lobelia had said to Pearl and I. He exhibited all the signs of a wrathful Took and immediately agreed to go with us to demand an apology from Otho and Lobelia.

We made our way to the Sackville-Bagginses. Once there, Pippin banged on the door. Otho answered.

"Yes?" he said, not bothering to take his pipe out of his mouth. He looked each of us up and down, trying to figure out what why we were there.

"Otho, we have something very important to speak with you and your wife about," I said.

"Well, come in then," he said. He showed us into their parlor, where Lobelia was sitting. She looked surprised that we had come so soon.

"Lobelia, what you said to Pearl and I today was unacceptable. You have deeply offended us and what you said was untrue and harsh, especially considering Pearl's condition," I said.

"You've also deeply offended the Tooks. My father doesn't know about what you said yet, but he shall. And when he finds out, I'm sure you'll have both the Mayor and the Master of Buckland's authority to reckon with, not to mention my father's authority as the Thain," Pippin said with surprising maturity for his age. Lobelia paled and Otho looked confused.

"What's going on? What did Lobelia say? And what do you mean, 'Pearl's condition'?" Otho asked.

"My wife Pearl is pregnant with our first child, Otho. And perhaps Lobelia should tell you herself what she said when she came over to our hole today," I said. Otho raised an eyebrow and took his pipe out of his mouth.

"Whatever _did_ you say, Lobelia?" he asked. Lobelia looked flustered.

"Well, I… I mean, I…," Lobelia stuttered.

"She accused Pearl of being Frodo's mistress and that their child was illegitimate," Pippin interrupted, looking angry. Otho's mouth dropped open, and he stared at his wife, who was shaking with anger. He was clearly speechless.

"Mr. Frodo would like an apology," Sam said, speaking for the first time. Otho seemed to partially recover, and he looked at his wife.

"I think an apology is in order, Lobelia," Otho said. Lobelia stood, her pride clearly showing in the look on her face.

"What? I _never _apologize. _He _should apologize to us for robbing us of Bilbo's inheritance," she said, and she stalked out of the room. Otho looked angrily after her, but when he turned back to us, his expression softened.

"I apologize for my wife's behavior," he said sincerely. "If you would excuse me, I need to speak to my wife." I nodded in acknowledgement of his apology.

"Thank you, Otho. We'll just be going then," I said, turning to leave.

"Congratulations on becoming a father," Otho said as we were leaving. I smiled at him.

"At least Otho seems to be decent," I said as we walked back to the village.


	8. Problems for Pearl

The Journey Alone: Chapter 8

March 20, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

Frodo's POV

"_Pearl!" I said, kneeling beside her. I gently shook her, hoping to wake her up. She didn't respond._

I pulled her into my lap and kissed her. "Pearl, please wake up!" I said, starting to cry. Pippin, who had been so shocked to see his pregnant sister motionless on the ground, now knelt on the other side of Pearl. He took her wrist in his hand and felt for her pulse, seeming to hold his breath and fearing the worst.

"She's alive," Pippin said in relief.

"Pippin, go run for the healer. I don't know what's wrong with her. I never should have left her alone for so long," I said.

"It's not your fault, Frodo. You didn't know this would happen. I'll go for the healer now. Keep Pearl here," he said. Then he ran out the door, slamming it behind him in his haste.

I sat with Pearl on the floor, murmuring sweet nothings to her and imploring her to wake up. Finally, she stirred and her eyelids flickered.

"Pearl? Pearl! Are you with me?" I said, stroking her face. Pearl groaned softly.

"Hungry," she whispered. I was so overjoyed that she spoke I couldn't speak for a moment. I regained use of my voice finally and I whispered to her:

"I love you Pearl." Then, remembering what she had whispered to me, I gently picked her up and carried her into the kitchen. I set her in a wooden chair, which probably wasn't too comfortable, but it was the only chair available. I got a piece of bread and warmed some milk for her, fearing to give her anything more substantial in case she felt sick. Pearl ate ravenously and drank the milk when I held it to her lips.

I held her hand when I was helping her drink, and her grasp was as weak as a kitten. This worried me, and I gave her hand a quick squeeze before I got up to get her more bread. She ate the bread just as quickly, and then I noticed that she seemed to be nodding off. I picked her up again and started carrying her toward our room. I nearly dropped her when I felt the baby kicking her when I held her close. Pearl smiled sleepily at this and closed her eyes again.

She had been sleeping for about ten minutes when I heard Pippin and the healer come through the door.

"Frodo?" Pippin yelled, looking for me in the living room but not finding me.

"In here, Pippin!" I yelled, hoping to not wake Pearl. She turned over as well as she could with her baby belly but did not wake up. Pippin and Healer Grubb walked in.

"Did she wake at all before we came?" Healer Grubb asked, checking Pearl's pulse methodically.

"Yes, she did. She said she was hungry so I fed her some bread and she drank some warm milk," I said. The healer nodded and put his ear to Pearl's stomach.

"Everything seems to be alright, but I'm going to wake her and ask her some questions," Healer Grubb said. He put his hand on Pearl's shoulder. "Mrs. Baggins! Mrs. Baggins, wake up!" he said.

Pearl stirred and flopped a hand on her swollen belly. Then she blinked and opened her eyes fully. She looked confused and tried to sit up, but Healer Grubb pushed her back onto the bed.

"What's going on?" Pearl asked.

"You fainted, Mrs. Baggins. Your husband and brother found you on the floor when they came back," Healer Grubb explained.

"I did? Oh, I remember now. Why were you gone for so long Frodo? Did Lobelia give you trouble?" Pearl asked.

"I'm sorry Pearl. I didn't mean to stay so long," I said apologetically.

"Pearl, what did you do while Frodo was gone? It might help me figure out why you fainted," Healer Grubb said.

"Well, I sat and watched the fire for a while and then I fell asleep. When I woke up, I got up and then I fainted," Pearl said.

"Hmmm, did you eat at all while they were gone?" Healer Grubb asked.

"No. I was asleep," Pearl said.

"Aha! Perhaps that's why you fainted. It is important for you to eat regularly while with child. You're eating for two, remember?" Healer Grubb said. Pearl looked sheepish.

"Yes, I know," Pearl said.

"Now, Frodo. I want Pearl to stay in bed for a week. No walking unless absolutely necessary. She is to eat as only a pregnant hobbit can eat. And she must take it easy and not overtax herself, even when the week of bed rest is up. I'm counting on you to keep Pearl rested, Frodo," Healer Grubb instructed. I nodded. "Do not hesitate to call me if Pearl needs me. I will come to check up on you near the end of the week."

"Thank you Healer Grubb," I said.

"You're welcome. I look forward to meeting the young Baggins," Healer Grubb said. I showed him to the door, and went back and sat with Pearl until she fell asleep.

**o0o**

Pearl's POV

After I fell asleep that night, I had another strange dream. This one was not the same as the one I had before, but it was just as scary, if not even more so.

In this dream, everything was hazy, and I could not see anything as clearly as I normally could. All was dark around me, and everything seemed to have a grey or white tinge to it. I could tell that there were people around me, but I could not tell who they were. One of them seemed to be a man, and four others were hobbits. One of them looked like Frodo, but I wasn't sure. I moved closer and I saw dimly that it was Frodo. He had a look of fear on his face like I had never seen before. I looked behind me to see what he was looking at and I saw five of the scariest beings I have ever seen. They were old and normal kings of men, but they had obviously been corrupted because they were evil-looking and grotesque. The one in the front was the leader, and he was the foulest. He drew his sword, and I screamed when I realized what he was going to do.

Frodo looked momentarily dazed, but then he looked terrified. The king stabbed Frodo in the shoulder, and Frodo let out a piercing scream. I started screaming and crying to see him in so much pain, but I could not do anything. Frodo started fading from my sight, and my dream shifted to another scene.

I saw Frodo standing near the sea, getting on a boat. The beautiful lady from my other dream was there on the boat. Frodo turned around to face me and smiled. Then the boat stated sailing away from the dock. I don't know why, but it made me sad. I started crying softly, but I was at ease, and I felt comforted. Then I woke up to Frodo's concerned face and felt the tears on my cheeks. He didn't say anything; he simply hugged me. I kissed him and gradually fell back asleep in his arms.

**o0o**

That week I'm afraid I half-acted rather like a spoiled princess. I sent Frodo to town to get food to satisfy my various cravings, had him cooking, fetching things for me, and carrying me to the sofa in the living room so I didn't have to stay cooped up in my room. Pippin stayed with us and helped us, but he left mid-week to tell our father about Lobelia, who had still not apologized. Healer Grubb came back at the end of the week and allowed me to get up and walk, which was getting more and more difficult as time went on.

**o0o**

May 15, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

One day in May, when I was enormously pregnant, and Frodo and I almost never got out of the house because of it, I insisted that he go to the pub and spend some time with Sam and his other friends. He agreed, but was nervous about it since my fainting episode in March. I assured him that I would be fine, and shooed him out of the house.

Frodo was not gone long when I heard a knock at the door. Glancing out the window, I saw that it was the infamous Gandalf, who I had never met. I did recognize him from the stories I had heard, and I knew that he was a friend of Frodo's, so I opened the door to him.

"Good evening," I said to the tall wizard.

"Good evening. You must be Pearl," he said. He held out his hand, and I shook it. I noticed him looking at my swollen belly with a hint of concern.

"Won't you come in? Frodo has just gone down to the Green Dragon for some ale with Sam, but he should be back soon. He's spent far too much time worrying about me and the baby," I explained. I tried to be polite and put away his hat and staff for him, but he wouldn't allow me to, again eyeing my belly.

I sat up with him for a while, and he told me some stories about Frodo as a lad that I found amusing. Eventually, I could not stay up any longer and went to bed, but promised him that Frodo would be home soon.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

I waved goodbye to Sam and climbed the steps to Bag End. All the candles seemed to be extinguished, which I thought was odd. Usually Pearl left a few burning for me when I came home late. I opened the door and went in. I peered through the darkness, trying to see if Pearl was on the floor again, but then I nearly jumped out of my skin. Gandalf grabbed me from behind.

"Is it secret? Is it safe?" he asked, sounding slightly paranoid. Gandalf lit some candles while I looked frantically for the Ring. I took some old maps out of a chest and finally found the envelope with the Ring. I turned around and held it up for Gandalf to see. He snatched the envelope from my hand and threw it into the fire.

"What are you doing?" I asked, afraid that the Ring would melt. Gandalf took it out of the fire with the tongs and held it over my shrinking palm.

"Take it Frodo. It is quite cool," he said. I looked at the Ring, noticing how utterly beautiful it was. It was so perfectly round, and gold, and unmarked even though it had just passed through the small fire.

"What do you see on it?" Gandalf asked. I looked at it, searching for any sort of markings.

"Nothing. I see nothing," I said. Gandalf closed his eyes in relief. "Wait. There are markings. Some sort of Elvish. I can't read it."

"There are few who can. But it says in the common tongue: One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them," Gandalf said, his voice growing deeper and more menacing as he spoke the words.

"What does that mean Gandalf?" I asked him, growing afraid.

"Come. Let us make some tea, and I will explain the story of the One Ring," Gandalf said.

A few minutes later, Gandalf and I were sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea, while Gandalf told me about the Ring. The Ring seemed to whisper to me as we spoke, and I eyed it suspiciously. Suddenly, as I was looking at it, I had a split-second vision of a fiery eye.

"What's going on?" Pearl said from the doorway. I turned around, not expecting Pearl to be up. She walked forward, looking at the Ring. "Where'd you get this Ring from?" Pearl asked, reaching for it.

Suddenly, Gandalf stood up violently. "Don't touch it Pearl!" he ordered. By then it was too late. Pearl had just barely brushed her fingers against the Ring, but she immediately fell to the floor, clutching her large belly, screaming in agony.

"Pearl!" I screamed, suddenly very afraid for Pearl and the baby.

**o0o**

TBC

Ooooo! The story is getting really good now!


	9. The Saddest Day

The Journey Alone: Chapter 9

May 15, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

Frodo's POV

"_Pearl!" I screamed, suddenly very afraid for Pearl and the baby._

"Help!" Pearl pleaded desperately to me, before she turned as white as a sheet, her eyes rolling back in her head as she fainted. She fell to the floor before I could catch her. I stared at her, at a loss for what to do. I knelt beside her finally and took her hand in mine. Gandalf knelt on the other side of her and held her face in his hands, seeming to search her soul with the look he had on his face. He had a pained and concerned expression at first, but then he yelped and looked towards Pearl's legs.

I saw where he was looking and immediately saw red blood darken Pearl's skirts. I could feel the blood drain for my face as I realized what that probably meant. The next thing I knew, I, too was sprawled out on the floor, knocked out cold from the shock of watching as my wife and child suffered. I was only out for a few seconds before Gandalf was shaking me awake.

"Frodo! Run and fetch the midwife and the doctor!" he said when he saw I was conscious again. I glanced at Pearl, who was deathly white, her chest hardly moving to allow her to breathe.

"What about Pearl?" I asked, frantic.

"I will stay with her and care for her as much as I can. I daresay I am better able to care for her than you at this point. You're in too much of a shock," he said. I nodded before I dashed out the door.

It was already quite late at that point, and I nearly tripped on the front steps in the darkness that surrounded me. The dew was beginning to fall, and it was mostly silent except for a few nightly noises. I was sobbing as I ran; fearing that Pearl or the baby would die while I was gone.

Eventually, I reached the midwife's door. She was a kindly old Proudfoot, and had served Hobbiton's mothers and infants for decades, so the late hour would not be anything new to her. I knocked on the door frantically, and a moment later she came to the door.

"Is it Pearl?" she asked, seeing who it was with dripping candle in her hand.

"Yes. She was holding her stomach and then she turned white and fainted. Then she started bleeding," I explained quickly.

"And you left her alone on the floor?" she said, shocked.

"No! Gandalf is with her," I said. "I need to go fetch the doctor."

"Yes, you do that. I think we'll need him as well," she said. I didn't stop to talk anymore; I ran straight to the Grubbs. He was not unused to hobbits knocking on his door at all hours, and was quite concerned for Pearl.

"Only her seventh month isn't it?' he asked. I nodded, this realization hitting me as well. Healer Grubb's frown deepened as he went inside to gather his things. I didn't wait for him to come; I ran back to Bag End as fast as my legs would carry me. I met the midwife at Bag End just as she was climbing the steps to go in. Both of us hurried into the kitchen to find that Pearl was gone. A red bloodstain remained on the floor where Pearl had lain. The midwife's eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in concern. She turned to look for Pearl in our bedroom.

As soon as I saw the blood stain on the floor, I realized that Pearl had bled even more after I had left. In fact, there was a thin trail of blood all the way to our bedroom. I stared at the floor, in a sort of fascination, following the trail into the bedroom. Inside, Pearl was on the bed, awake again and holding her abdomen. Gandalf held one of her hands as she cried in agony. The midwife was trying to get Pearl cleaned up, and bloody cloths spilled onto the floor. I rushed to Pearl and seized her hand like my life depended on it.

Pearl felt my hand and turned to me. Her face was clenched in pain and tears spilled from her eyes. Her eyes communicated to me the fear and pain she felt without words. Her grip on my hand tightened as Pearl let out an agonized scream. Her already fast breathing quickened yet again, and I felt her pulse jump as well.

"Gandalf! More towels!" the midwife demanded. I turned to look at her and saw a spray of blood hit her and splatter all over her clothes. My eyes widened, and I almost fainted again. Just then, the doctor finally walked in and ordered Gandalf and I out of the room. Gandalf grimaced and quickly handed the towels from the table for the midwife. I kissed Pearl on her hand and went out with Gandalf. Just as we left the room, I heard the midwife say: "She's started labor." Immediately, the world went black and I knew no more.

**o0o**

When I woke, I was on the couch in the living room, and Sam was sitting near me. I started to sit up, but Sam pushed me back down.

"Begging your pardon, sir, but I don't think you should be sitting up just yet. You're still white as a sheet," Sam said. I _did _feel a little dizzy, so I did as Sam said and stayed flat on my back.

"When did you get here?" I asked.

"Oh, not too long ago. Gandalf came and fetched me and told me to look after you. He said he'd be back as soon as possible 'cuz he's gone down to Tookland to bring back Pearl's family.

"It's that bad?" I asked in a small voice.

"Mr. Frodo! Are you alright? You've gone even paler!" Sam said, standing up. Just then, an ominous scream that was obviously Pearl's rang out across the entire hole. I put my head over the side of the couch and threw up.

**o0o**

Pearl's POV

"She's started labor!" I heard the midwife say, as if from a great distance. I knew she was simply at the end of my bed, but in the amount of pain I was in; every sound was twisted and distorted. I was not aware of much else besides the pain. I knew when the doctor came in and when Frodo left and heard a sharp intake of breath from the midwife. The pain was growing steadily, and I tried not to cry out for Frodo's sake.

Seemingly hours later, the pain had grown to a monstrous amount and was unbearable. I screamed until my lungs were on fire. Then I felt something leave me. The midwife gasped. The pain diminished slightly, and I looked down to the end of my bed. In the midwife's arms was a perfect baby, if slightly small covered in blood. The baby was completely silent. I knew that this could not be good; I knew babies were supposed to scream and cry when they were born.

"Is something wrong with his lungs?" I asked, noticing that it was a boy.

"No. Pearl, I'm afraid that he's dead. He was already dead in the womb," the midwife said gently. Her wrinkled face looked down sadly at the dead baby in her arms. She wiped off the remaining blood and handed him to me. "No harm in holding him though," she said, her eyes starting to fill with tears. I started crying as well, holding the dead baby gently. The cries turned to sobs, and the doctor left the room and returned with a pale Frodo leaning on Sam's arm.

He saw the seemingly perfect baby in my arms, and un-looked for hope sprang onto his features. Moving closer, he saw that the baby wasn't moving or making any noise, and looked confusedly at me.

"What…?" he started to ask.

"He's dead," I said, my sobs turning into gulps for air. I could barely breathe I was crying so much. Frodo looked grave, and kissed the baby on its cheek and me on my forehead. He held the baby's head and looked into his face. Frodo's blue eyes filled with tears. I looked down at the baby's face and saw what had made Frodo cry.

The baby had bright blue eyes.

"I think we should name him Vanima-hin," Frodo said, softly, not looking up from the child's face.

"What does that mean?" I asked, calming down slightly and recognizing the Elvish words but not their meaning.

"Beautiful Child," Frodo said.

"It's a beautiful name," I said. Frodo nodded.

"May I hold him?" Frodo asked. I didn't answer, I just held the baby out to him. Frodo took the baby and stood up, gazing into his child's blue eyes. I could not help but start crying again, watching the sadness on Frodo's face as he held his dead child. I noticed that all in the room were crying, not even trying to hide their tears.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

Pearl's family arrived in the early hours of the morning with Gandalf. Much crying ensued upon the announcement that the baby was dead. We held a small funeral for Vanima-hin the next day. He was buried next to my parents in the Hobbiton cemetery. Pearl and I sobbed our hearts out as the smallest coffin I have ever seen was lowered into the ground.

Amazingly, Pearl was fully recovered after a day of rest. I was grateful that I didn't have to lose both my child and my wife. Pearl was extremely sad over the death of Vanima-hin. She never forgot the death of her first born.

**o0o**

Two days after the funeral of Vanima-hin, and Pearl's family had left, Gandalf brought Pearl and I into my study and shut the door. He finished explaining the Ring and its history to us.

"So, Gandalf, did touching the ring cause Vanima-hin's death?" I asked, understanding.

"I strongly suspect so, Frodo. You saw Pearl's reaction. That is why it worried me when I came and saw that Pearl was with child. The Ring is so evil: Vanima-hin did not stand a chance against its vileness," Gandalf said. I sighed. Pearl looked stiricken.

"Cusre my Took curiousness," Pearl said. Gandalf looked sympathetically at Pearl. After a pause, Gandalf proceeded to tell me about the Rig wraiths.

"But I cannot stay here!" I exclaimed.

"No, you cannot," he said.

"Alright, we'll hide the Ring," I said, looking for possible hiding places around the study.

"No Frodo. The Ring wraiths would find it and kill you and your wife," he said.

"Then you take it!" I said, frustrated and scared.

"No! Through me, the Ring would wield a power too great and terrible. I would wish to use it for good, but It would corrupt me!" Gandalf said.

"What must I do?" I asked, resigned.

"You and Pearl must leave the Shire. Meet me in Bree, and we will go to Rivendell and seek Elrond's counsel. I must go speak to Saruman, who is one of my Order," Gandalf said. I looked at Pearl, a question in my eyes.

"Frodo, we have to do this," Pearl said, resigned but determined. Pearl and I started packing food and clothes immediately.

"Go to the Prancing Pony in Bree. Barliman Butterbur is a friend of mine; he will take care of you," Gandalf said, handing a folded shirt to me. I grabbed it, and unwittingly unfolded it. I balled it up and stuffed it in my sack. Pearl threw on her cloak and handed me mine. I picked up my walking stick and stood ready to go. We had packed for a journey that we didn't know how long it would take in less than twenty minutes. Gandalf looked down at us and smiled.

"Frodo and Pearl Baggins: hobbits truly are amazing creatures. You can learn all that you need to about them in less than a month and after a hundred years they can still surprise you at a pinch." Pearl and I smiled at the compliment, but then we heard something from outside. "Get down!" Gandalf hissed at us. Both of us dropped to the floor and Gandalf approached the window. He jabbed his staff out the window at something. Then he reached down and picked up none other than Samwise Gamgee!

**o0o**

TBC

Wow, I almost cried writing the baby's death. It had to be done, though. I have been planning that since I thought of this story. Stupid Ring! Please don't kill me though: at least Pearl isn't dead. (yet!)


	10. The Journey Begins

The Journey Alone: Chapter 10

May 18, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

Frodo's POV

Gandalf insisted that Sam come with us as punishment for eavesdropping; however, Sam didn't seem to regard it as punishment. He was actually excited to go because he'd get to see elves. I was a bit nervous about Pearl coming with us since she had just barely recovered from losing the baby. She demanded to come, and Gandalf said it would be wise.

"Pearl, I don't think that you should come with us. You've only just recovered, and you're still pale from loss of blood," I said, looking at her and gesturing to Pearl's face. As if to prove me wrong, Pearl's face turned beat red with anger and embarrassment.

"Frodo Baggins! I'm coming with you whether you like or not!" she said angrily, crossing her arms. Suddenly Gandalf threw back his head and laughed.

"Well, Frodo! It's obvious you've married a Took!" Gandalf said. I felt my face turn red as well. But then Gandalf lost the mirth from his face and grew serious again.

"Pearl needs to go, whether she wanted to or not. I would fear for her life if she stayed here and the Ring wraiths found her, which they eventually would," Gandalf said. I looked at Gandalf, suddenly afraid.

"We should go," I said. Gandalf nodded. We all went out the door together and began walking to leave the Shire. We knew not when we would be returning, if ever. We were leaving danger to walk into danger, and drawing the peril after us. And the very thing that was causing it all was in my pocket, in as innocent a guise as a gold ring, unadorned and simple.

Sam led Gandalf's horse, since Gandalf walked beside Pearl and I, giving us last minute directions and instructions.

"Remember, keep it secret and keep it safe!" Gandalf said. He gave us one last look, and we were on our own, his horse quickly passing us and sending Gandalf out of our sight. I looked at Sam and Pearl and sighed. Then we started walking.

**o0o**

Pearl's POV

We walked for most of the night, since it was a beautiful night, and the stars were shining brightly in the sky. Crickets chirped, and a few other animals made some noise, but otherwise it was a quiet night. We took a route that few knew about so that we wouldn't run into anyone. Already, we knew that our disappearance would cause quite a stir in Hobbiton. The old rumors and stories about Bilbo and Frodo being "cracked" would resurface, and Frodo's already iffy reputation would suffer. Already, Frodo was sacrificing so much to take danger away from the Shire. I looked at Frodo walking beside me. His eyes were on the ground, brooding about something. He grimaced, and then seemed to notice that someone was watching him. He looked up at me and plastered a fake looking smile on his face for me. I saw through it, of course, and frowned at him.

"Frodo? What's the matter?" I asked him.

"Nothing," he said, too quickly. I rolled my eyes and looked at Sam, who gave me a sympathetic look. Frodo saw this exchange between us, and pulled his puppy dog look, making his eyes go huge and round and irresistible.

"Frodo Baggins! You are impossible!" I said, and lightly slapping his shoulder. He grinned at me. "And I intend on finding out what's troubling you before the day is out!" He continued to grin at me. I ignored him pointedly. I heard Sam snort with laughter behind us. I shot him a glare and stalked ahead of both of them.

I looked back at them, and sure enough, Frodo was grinning and barely containing his laughter. Suddenly he rushed up to me and kissed me hard on the lips. I pulled away, furious with him now, and started yelling at him.

"Frodo Baggins! Of all the things to do! And right in front of Sam, too! Honestly!" I said. I again walked ahead of them and fumed. I heard laughter behind me, and soon even I was laughing, even though I hid it. Soon I heard whispering between them, and then Frodo and Sam caught up to me. Sam looked at me in all seriousness and bowed.

"Mistress Pearl Baggins, Master Frodo Baggins wishes to make amends for his unseemly actions earlier," he said. I raised an eyebrow. Frodo came up to me and got down on one knee and took one of my hands, barely containing his laughter.

"Mistress Pearl, I apologize for my improper behavior and I implore your forgiveness,' he said, half-seriously and half-mockingly. He kissed my hand and stood up.

"I forgive you," I said.

"Good. Then you'll forgive me for this," Frodo said. And he kissed me _again_. He stopped for a second, and turned to Sam. "Watch and take lessons for you and Rosie," he said devilishly. Then he went back to kissing me. I would have stopped in, for propriety's sake if not my own, but Frodo had taken me by surprise, and I indulgently let myself enjoy the kiss.

Finally, he broke away and grinned like an imp at me.

"You are lucky I love you, Frodo Baggins. You would never have gotten away with that if I was anyone else," I said.

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy that," Frodo said. "Because I know you did." I am pretty sure I blushed pink as a rose when he said that. I muttered something about him being an imp and continued walking.

**o0o**

The next day, Sam was preparing a bit of supper for us and Frodo had climbed up in a tree to smoke a pipe. I tried to help Sam, but he insisted on doing the cooking himself, so I was attempting to climb a tree myself. Frodo, being a typical Baggins, was laughing at my attempts to climb in a dress and remain modest.

The tree I was climbing was a bit higher than the one Frodo had climbed. I had almost made it safely onto the branch with the help of Frodo yelling out instructions in between whiffs of smoke. I reached for a branch that was jutting out of the tree trunk. I succeeded in grabbing it, but it broke under my weight, creating a loud crack. I was still clutching the branch as I fell to the ground. I gave out a short yelp, too surprised to scream even more. Frodo, however, was in a panic.

"PEARL!" he yelled from his perch in the other tree. There was no way that he could climb down fast enough to catch me, but he still jumped down and threw his still lit pipe on the floor. He ran towards me, by which point I was already flat on my back on the ground. The fall had only lasted about three seconds, but it seemed to last much longer than that.

Sam reached me first, kneeling beside me. "Pearl! Are you all right?" he said, looking me over for any visible injuries.

"I think so," I said. The shock of falling finally caught up with me. I started bawling. This set Sam at a loss: he didn't know what to do. Frodo had already reached my prone body and now seized my hand. This only made me scream out harder, as my arm had been injured in the fall, though I didn't know it until he held my hand. Frodo's eyes grew wide with concern.

"What is it, Pearl? Is it your arm?" he asked, touching it gingerly. I nodded, still crying, but less intensely. "All right, Sam, see if you can find a stick suitable to use as a splint. I want to bind her arm until we can get out of here and have it bound properly," he said. Sam went off to look for a stick.

Meanwhile, Frodo began tearing the end of his shirt into strips. I started to balk at this.

"What are you doing Frodo?! Your shirt will be ruined," I said.

"It doesn't matter. I have a spar shirt in my pack, and you need bandages. If I'm not mistaken, you have a few nasty cuts on your arms, legs, and face from the twigs," he explained. Finished, Frodo squeezed my hand on my uninjured arm and went off to fetch some water.

"Stay where you are," he said.

"It's my arm that's hurt, not my leg," I said, protesting.

"I don't want you to further hurt your arm, but here," he said. He took off his waistcoat and then his shirt and made a pillow for my head.

"Frodo! Get your other shirt on right away! What if somebody saw you without your shirt on! What would they think?" I said, horrified. I blushed, while Frodo grinned.

"They would scurry away, for fear of walking in on something," he said. I scoffed, but he put his other shirt on. He brought water from a nearby creek soon enough and started bathing my cuts. "I'll wait until I can tell Sam to avert his eyes before I see to your back," he said, causing me to blush again.

Sam came back soon and helped Frodo wrap my arm with the splint. It hurt unmercifully, but none of us thought that it was broken, as I could still move it. We figured that it had only been sprained. My back however, was severely bruised, mostly because of the nasty fall I had, landing hard against the ground. Sam prudently finished up the supper while Frodo gently tended my back.

With Sam far enough away so he wouldn't see, I tried to turn onto my stomach so that Frodo could tend my back. Using my uninjured arm, I tried to sit up partially, but the twinge of pain it caused almost caused me to fall against the ground again. Fortunately, Frodo caught me before I could get hurt again. It still hurt terribly, and I whimpered. As he lowered my body back onto the ground, I noticed his face crease with worry.

"Do you think you could turn if I helped?" he asked. I nodded, so he took hold of my arm and back. He tried to flip me as gently as he could but it still caused me great pain, and I lay on my stomach panting when it was done. I even broke a slight sweat. Frodo looked even more concerned at this, but he said nothing. I wearily closed my eyes while Frodo unbuttoned the tiny buttons on my dress and bodice. Suddenly he gasped. I opened my eyes.

"What is it, Frodo?" I asked.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

When I opened Pearl's dress and bodice in back, I gasped at the color of her back. It was a rainbow of black, purple, green, and red bruises, although it didn't seem that any bones or Pearl's back was broken.

"Your back is just a bit bruised," I replied to Pearl's question. "I'm going to get some cold water, okay Pearl? I'll be right back," I said. I ran over to Sam.

"Pearl's back is badly bruised up. I'm going to get some fresh water from the creek, but can you see if we have any hawthorn leaves or rose hips in our pack or somewhere around here?" I whispered quickly so Pearl wouldn't be overly worried.

"Is it bad?" Sam asked quietly, his warm brown eyes concerned.

"Its ad, but she should be able to walk. She just won't be able to li on her back for a while," I said. Then I ran off back to the creek.

I returned to Pearl to find that she had fallen asleep. I got one of the torn strips from my shirt wet and began to tend her bruises. Pearl woke up immediately when I touched her back, and groaned. She tried to prevent herself from crying out by gritting her teeth, but occasionally she would gasp and grip the pillow I had made for her until her knuckles were white.

An hour later, after Pearl had drunk a tea of rose hips and hawthorn leaves, known to be good for bruising, Pearl was feeling much better. She was sitting up and enjoying the last of the food left from supper. I was again smoking my pipe in the tree, just relaxing.

Suddenly I heard some ethereal singing in the distance. I leaned over Sam and Pearl and smiled.

"Look Sam," I said, "Wood elves!" I climbed down from the tree and hurried over to where we heard the singing with Sam and Pearl close behind me. We knelt in some bushes to watch the elves unobserved.

"They are going to the grey Havens to sail away from Middle Earth," I explained.

"I don't know why," Sam said, "but it makes me sad." Suddenly, I sensed, rather than heard, someone or something behind us. I turned around very slowly, and was shocked at the sight.

**o0o**

TBC


	11. Merry and Pippin

The Journey Alone: Chapter 11

May 18-19, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

Frodo's POV

I turned around and I was shocked to see an elf. Elves are capable of being completely silent, even when they walk. Hobbits have this ability to some effect, but they are not nearly as quiet as Elves are. So it was not too surprising that we hadn't noticed him approach.

"Vedui'," the elf said. I understood through my limited Elvish that the elf had said "greetings." But Pearl and Sam did not understand what the elf was saying, so I quickly translated for them.

"He says 'greetings'," I told Pearl and Sam. Then I turned to the elf and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Master Elf. I am Frodo Baggins, and this is Samwise Gamgee, my gardener, and Pearl Baggins, my wife." The elf bowed.

"I am Gildor. We noticed you watching the elves, and I was sent to see if we could be of service to you," the elf said.

"We appreciate your concern. We are on our way to meet Gandalf in Bree. From there, we will be travelling to Rivendell," I explained, "my wife could use your assistance if you would be so kind. She fell from a tree and her back was badly bruised."

"Yes, we have heard from Gandalf that you would be travelling. We will gladly give you a night's rest in one of our resting places. We have things there to help your wife with her injury," Gildor said. "Follow me."

Glad that the exchange had taken place in the common tongue, Sam and Pearl understood what was going on and I didn't have to translate. We followed Gildor and he led us to an Elven encampment, if you could call it that. The Elves made it seem more like an elegant home in the open air, and their tents were large and airy.

The surrounding Elves smiled down at us, and regarded us with a sort of regal interest. Soft loaves of bread and sweet butter were given to us, along with crystal clear spring water. We had just eaten supper, but we could not refuse the food without seeming rude, and a hobbit is always hungry. After we had eaten, Gildor took Pearl into a tent to see to her injuries. He came back a moment later to speak to Sam and me.

"Master Frodo, Gandalf has told us the nature of your journey. I will advise you that servants of the enemy are already searching for you. You should remain cautious, and do not wear It. If you should put it on, your troubles will multiply," he explained. I nodded gravely.

"There is one thing that I do not understand, Gildor. Who or what are these servants of the enemy? How shall I know it is one of them?" I asked.

"Gandalf did not speak to them to you? Then I won't tell you too much. Perhaps he feared that you would not dare move if you knew. I will tell you this: you will know them when you encounter them. But you must not give in to their temptation," Gildor replied. Sam had been listening intently to everything Gildor and I had been saying, but had not yet spoken.

"I will protect you, Mr. Frodo," he finally said. I smiled at him.

"I know you will, Sam," I said. Gildor looked at Sam as if he could see something that I could not.

"Take care of your master, Samwise GAamgee. He will need it before the end," Gildor said.

"Sam would jump down the mouth of a dragon for me, if it would save me," I said to Gildor, proud of my friend and servant. Gildor nodded, and looked at Sam gravely.

"You will need such bravery on your journey," he said ominously.

**o0o**

Pearl's POV

Gildor led me into a tent which was obviously used as sleeping quarters for the elves. The beds were larger than I had ever seen, both in height and length. Inside was another elf, quietly reading.

"This is Eden, who is a healer," Gildor said. Eden looked up from her book and smiled softly at me. Her long brown hair touched the floor when she was sitting, but she stood up to greet me.

"This is Pearl Baggins, wife of Frodo Baggins. She has injuries which need tending to," Gildor told Eden. Gildor nodded to me and left.

"Hello Pearl," Eden said, obviously not a regular speaker of the common tongue. "Where are you injured?"

"On my back. Apparently I have bruises from when I fell from the tree," I said. Eden nodded.

"Lay on your front and I will take a look," Eden said. I went to the nearest bed and tried to get onto it. It was too high for me, and to my embarrassment, Eden had to take my hand and help me climb onto the bed. I laid down while Eden unbuttoned the back on my dress. She looked at it for a moment and then said:

"I will be back in a moment." She returned quickly, bringing cloth and some unknown herb with her. She put something warm and soft on my back and began massaging it gently. Eventually, I fell asleep, and did not wake until the next morning. I was completely healed from whatever Eden had done.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

Gildor told me that the elves would be gone the next morning, but the tents would remain for the next group of elves travelling to the Havens. We found this to be true the next morning, even though we got up early. We set off again, hoping to reach Bree by nightfall.

**o0o**

Later that afternoon, we were taking a shortcut through Farmer Maggot's fields. We did not take any produce because of an incident I'd had with him when I was a teen. I began to walk faster because I was so eager to get away from Farmer Maggot's fields. I didn't realize it, but I began to get a little bit ahead of Sam and Pearl. It wouldn't have been too far ahead if we had been walking through open ground, but because of the tall plants growing, we got separated. Suddenly I heard frantic shouting from Pearl and Sam.

"Frodo! Frodo! Mr. Frodo!" Sam and Pearl yelled. Fearing that one of them had gotten hurt, or worse, Farmer Maggot had caught them, I rushed back.

"I thought I'd lost you!" Sam said in relief when he saw me returning.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"It's just something Gandalf said. 'Don't you leave him Samwise Gamgee.' And I don't mean to," Sam said. I was touched, but Pearl was crying in relief and I hugged her to comfort her somewhat. Suddenly, someone burst through the plants, knocking Sam right over. Pearl and I stared at him, momentarily shocked. Then someone else came through the plants and knocked_ us_ over.

"Who's this?" Merry said.

"Why, it's Frodo: Frodo Baggins!" Pippin said, helping us up.

"And Sam and Pearl!" Merry said. Then noticing that Pearl and I were together, he said: "You weren't just kissing her, were you?" I blushed.

"Frodo was kissing my sister?" Pippin said, wrinkling his nose.

"He_ is_ married to me," Pearl said. Suddenly, Sam noticed that there were vegetables on the ground.

"You've been in to Farmer Maggot's crops!" he said. Then we heard barking dogs, and Pippin shoved some vegetables into Sam's arms.

"We're just_ borrowing_ them," he said. And then we ran for it. Sam threw down the stolen vegetables in disgust. Pippin and Merry continued to babble on about the vegetables, but I paid them no heed. I was more concerned about getting away from the dogs.

Merry and Pippin stopped abruptly when we go out of the field, so pearl and I did too. Sam. However, was looking behind him and did not notice we had stopped. He crashed right into us, and we went tumbling down the slope.

I groaned at the bottom, and then helped Pearl get up. I was concerned that her back had gotten hurt, but she assured me that it was fine.

"I think I've broken something," Merry said, and pulled out a broken carrot.

"What was_ that_?" Sam asked, annoyed.

"A shortcut," Merry said.

"To what?"

"Mushrooms!" yelled out Pippin. He had fallen in such a way to notice mushrooms close to the ground where he had fallen. Immediately, all the hobbits fell upon the mushrooms and began to greedily gather them up. I did not however, because I sensed something farther on down the road.

"I think we should get off the road," I said. No one paid me any attention. Suddenly terrified, I yelled, "Get off the road!"

Alert to the fear in my voice, the other hobbits got up and found a hiding spot under a tree root. Merry and Pippin continued to argue about the vegetables and mushrooms, but the stopped, sensing some approaching evil. I could tell that there was a horse above us, and was suddenly deathly afraid. I understood what Gildor said about being able to "sense" to servants of the enemy. I looked up, and through a gap in the tree roots, I could see a hooded figure kneeling on the ground above us I closed my eyes as I was assailed by the urge to put on the Ring.

Pearl leaned against me, feeling the evil above us and becoming afraid. I almost put the Ring on, but Sam prevented me. Fortunately, Pippin put his intelligent mind to good use and threw a log into the brush away from us. Taking a deep sigh of relief as the Black Rider shrieked and went near the log; we got up and carefully snuck away.

**o0o**

Later, we were carefully, ducking from tree to tree to avoid being seen by the Black Riders. It was misting out, making the ground slick. I paused for a moment, trying to decide which way to go when Pippin and Merry flung himself on the ground.

"What was that?" Merry finally asked the question he and Pippin were insanely curious about. I was reluctant to answer them, so I didn't answer right away. I looked at the Ring in my hand, wondering how on Middle Earth I was going to make it to Bree before the Black Riders caught up to me.

"Sam and Pearl and I have to leave the Shire. We have to get to Bree," I said.

"Right. Buckleberry Ferry. Follow me," Merry said. Immediately, we ran after Merry. Suddenly, a Black rider appeared out of nowhere.

"Run!" I yelled. We managed to escape, but I had to run under the horse. Finally, the ferry was in sight. Everyone was already on it but me. Merry and Pippin were frantically untying the rope from the posts, and I knew I was going to have to jump to make it on the ferry. I leaped, and I landed right on the ferry. I turned around to see the Black Rider turn around and join at least four other Black Riders.

When we finally got off the ferry, it was pouring rain. We carefully watched for any other Black Riders and quickly made it to the gate that guarded Bree.

Once inside Bree, we saw a lot of strange men: one was even randomly eating a carrot! Finally, I spotted The Prancing Pony Inn. We made our way to the inn and breathed a sigh of relief when we saw that the inside was warm, dry, and smelled of good food being cooked. I approached the high desk.

"Excuse me," I said timidly.

"Good evening, little masters! What can I do for you?" he asked, but before I could answer, he pointed at me and said, "If you're looking for accommodations, we got some nice, cozy, hobbit-sized rooms for you. Always proud to cater to little folk, Mister…"

"Underhill. My name's Underhill," I said quickly.

"Underhill?" he said, not quite believing me, but nodding his head.

"Friends of Gandalf the Grey: can you tell him we've arrived?" I asked.

"Gandalf?" he said, looking confused. He thought a moment. "Oh yes! Elvish chap, big grey beard, pointy hat. Haven't seen 'im in six months."

My face fell. I turned to the others.

"What do we do now?" Sam asked.

**o0o**

Ok. I hate this stuff, with it happening exactly like the movie (except for Gildor of course). So I'm going to find a way to skip through it until I get to a point that I change a bit.

Another thing: this is NOT a tenth walker story. Pearl may be with Frodo now, but she won't be forever. It says in the descriptions, people.

Updates may be less frequent than they have for the last week or so. Fall is a busy time for me, so I'll have less time to write. Of course, playing the LOTR symphony in the background is pure inspiration. ;)

TBC


	12. Rivendell

The Journey Alone: Chapter 12

May 19-21, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

**o0o**

Back in the Shire, days earlier, Gaffer Gamgee was surprised to hear a knock at his door. He shuffled over to the round door of his hole and squinted at the knocker. He couldn't quite make out who it was through his failing vision, but he could tell it was one of the "Big Folk."

"Yes? How may I help you?" he asked politely, even as an unexplainable shudder went through him.

"Where is Baggins?" a hissing voice asked.

"Baggins? He's disappeared, along with his wife Pearl and my son. No doubt he's off on an adventure just like Old Bilbo, bless him," the Gaffer said.

"Baggins has a wife?" the voice said.

"Yes, he does. Been married since last autumn. Nice lady hobbit, Pearl is. How do you know him? And why didn't you just go up to Bag End?" the Gaffer asked, getting suspicious. But the cloaked figure disappeared.

**o0o**

Pearl's POV

When we met Strider later that night, I was agreeing more with Sam than with Frodo. Strider seemed to be like all the highwaymen in stories, and I didn't want to trust him. Something seemed to be not what it looked like with him. I did not think that being a Ranger and rugged like he appeared to be was his natural tendency. I was quite right, but I didn't know at the time that he was really the rightful king of Gondor. In the Shire, "until the king comes back" was a common enough saying, but I didn't quite believe that it would come to pass, at least in my lifetime.

After the horrific night of terror, listening to the Black Riders scream and Strider's explanation, the nature of the hooded creatures was a little bit clearer in my mind, but still vague. Until I heard the full story, I was still not quite sure what to make of them. Of course, I was completely terrified of them, and wished to have no further experience of them. They struck a fear within me that I didn't know I had. The seemed so intrinsically evil that it was impossible not to be scared of them.

So we found ourselves travelling in the Wild, with no idea where we were or really where our destination was with a complete stranger. Not the best of situations at all. Frodo continued to doggedly trust him, and Pippin and Merry, young innocents that they were, trusted Frodo and so trusted Strider. I tended to be a bit more wary, even if I was a born Took and married to Frodo Baggins, the relative of the infamous Bilbo Baggins. Strider never did anything that was out rightly evil or bad, but I guess it was just his appearance and demeanor that made me untrusting.

Somehow it did not surprise me that he had never heard of second breakfast.

After a couple days of travelling, we were finally in sight of Weathertop, or Amon Sul, as Strider called it. It seemed to be infinitely old, and somehow sad and noble, as it stood in the desolate area, alone as it had once been conquered and abandoned. It was a depressing place, especially since we had arrived there when it was cloudy and verging on night.

Finally, we made it to a suitable camping place at Weathertop and shrugged off our heavy packs. To my surprise, as well as the other hobbits, Strider tossed daggers to us. At least, they were daggers for Strider. For us hobbits, they were swords. I was even more surprised when Strider handed one to me, a lady hobbit. I raised my eyebrow, and looked at Strider, puzzled.

"Yes, Pearl, you will need a sword too. If you should become separated from the rest of us, or the others are incapable of defending you, you will need a way to protect yourself," he said. The look on Frodo's face was murderous.

"Why would Pearl need to defend herself? We have you, Strider. I would imagine that you are a more than capable warrior," Frodo said, obviously concerned at the thought of a lady hobbit needing to defend herself.

"It is best to be prepared," Strider said. "I am going to look around and see what I can found out about the movements of the Nazgul." And then he was gone.

Eventually, I ended up asleep. The constant walking had tired me out, and I could have slept anywhere, I was so tired. Apparently, Frodo thought the same thing because I felt him lay down next to me while I was still half asleep. I woke up to Frodo yelling at the other hobbits.

"What are you doing?!" he screamed at them.

"We made some nice crispy bacon and tomatoes," Pippin said, unfazed by Frodo's tone.

"We saved you some, Mr. Frodo," Sam said.

'Put it out you fools! Put it out!" Frodo said frantically, stomping on the low fire. Suddenly, we heard the chilling but familiar screech of the Black Riders. We froze and the other hobbits realized what they had done. Quickly, they gathered up the remaining food and put out the fire.

"Run!" Someone yelled. We drew out swords and ran up the slope of Weathertop to the peak of the former watchtower. We made a circle with our backs facing each other and kept our eyes peeled for the Black Riders. Suddenly, Frodo backed up into me, his eyes focused on an emerging cloaked figure, his sword drawn and ready for attack. Sam and Merry and Pippin moved in front of Frodo and me, the fear evident in their eyes.

The Black Rider threw Sam to the side, and he landed painfully, with his head bashing against the stone. Merry and Pippin slunk together, and briefly fought the Black Rider, but they, too, were knocked aside. When the Black Rider reached me, I desperately tried to stab at the cloak, but not knowing at all how to use the sword, I was helpless defending myself. However, the Black Rider seemed to regard my attempts at attacking it to be a distraction. Suddenly, I fell on the ground and everything felt cold. I blacked out.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

"Pearl!" I watched in horror as my wife fell to the ground and fell unconscious. Once she was out, the Black Rider turned to me. I, too, fell to the ground. My terror was swallowed up in a sudden urge to put on the Ring. I drew out the Ring and looked at It. I knew that Gandalf and Gildor had told me not to put it on, but I wanted to disregard all their warnings and satisfy the urge to put it on. Slowly, I put the Ring on my finger.

Immediately, the world around me was transformed into a fuzzy haze. Before me, the Nazgul were glowing white, ethereal, and altogether evil. One of them, obviously the leader, drew closer and unsheathed his sword. Horrified, I realized what was about to happen a split second before it did. The blade pierced my shoulder, and it was enveloped in agony. I cried out and the blade was pulled out just as swiftly as it came in.

Realizing what I must do, I pulled the Ring off my finger and lay back, trying to control my screams. Sam, Merry and Pippin rushed to my side a soon as I reappeared. They seemed at a loss for what to do, but they tried to comfort me as best as they were able. I barely noticed Strider leaping out with a yell, wielding his sword and a flaming branch. He successfully drove the Black Riders away, and ran to my side.

"What happened?' Sam asked, frantic because he was unable to help his master.

"His shoulder was pierced by a Morgul blade. We can do nothing for him here. We must go to Rivendell," Strider said. He started to pick me up, but I stopped him.

"Pearl," I managed to choke out, "she's hurt." Strider turned and saw Pearl still motionless on the ground. He hurried to her side and turned her over gingerly. Just then, Pearl yelled out something unintelligible.

"The Black Breath," he said. "We must get some athelas, or I can do nothing." He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. "Get Frodo on the pony. I cannot carry them both. But watch to make sure he does not fall off," Aragorn said.

As Aragorn began walking, my pain grew, and my shoulder became more numb and cold. I could not prevent myself from screaming any longer, and I whimpered and groaned whenever Strider unintentionally jarred me. Eventually, I stopped being aware of what was going on, though I was not unconscious or asleep. I was half in the wraith world, and it was frightening.

**o0o**

Pearl's POV

When I woke finally, I was on my back, and I took a deep breath of the surprisingly refreshing air around me. I opened my eyes to see Strider leaning over me, and Sam, Merry, and Pippin hovering near as well. A strange but beautiful woman was also near. She was murmuring something to Aragorn, and I realized that she was an elf. I was too worn out to question anything yet, so I laid back and allowed Pippin to hold my hand.

I was not allowed to rest long because I noticed that Strider and the elf were leaning over the prone body of my husband.

"Frodo!" I yelled, concerned that he was hurt. Strider turned to me.

"Lay back Pearl. Frodo will be alright in time," he said. Not satisfied, but realizing that Strider was right, I laid back and began questioning Pippin.

"What happened to Frodo?" I asked.

"One of the Black Riders stabbed him in the shoulder," Pippin said.

"Is it bad?" I asked, my concern growing. I feared that Frodo would die or that he would be maimed for life.

"No, it was just a small wound, but something is wrong with it. Something was evil with the knife used to stab him," Pippin said.

"Will he be alright? And why is that elf here?" I asked.

"I don't know if he'll be alright. Strider says that our best chance for him is to get to Rivendell as soon as possible. The elf just showed up here. I think she knows Strider, but they've been speaking in Elvish, so I don't know what they've been staying," Pippin explained. I glanced at Frodo, and I saw that Strider had picked up Frodo's limp form and was setting him on the elf's horse.

"What are you doing? Those wraiths are still out there!" Sam yelled in frustration.

"Frodo!" I yelled. Frodo sat on the horse, still unaware of anything and looking as weak as a kitten. The elf swung onto the horse behind Frodo and wrapped her arms around him.

"Noro lim, Asfaloth!" she said, and the horse galloped away. Strider watched her leave with a sadness and fear in his eyes.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

I recall little from the long journey with Arwen to the Ford, but I vaguely remember the movement of the horse beneath me, and the urgings of Arwen to the horse.

I also remember a Black Rider right near my face, but the memory is misty somehow, as if I had been seeing it through a fog.

**o0o**

Pearl's POV

Once we got to Rivendell I was completely recovered from the "Black Breath", as strider called it. I was really worried about Frodo, and I rushed into his room as soon as we got there. Frodo looked paler than normal, and he was almost completely still. I seize his hand and sat there with him for a long time.

Finally, I noticed that there was someone else in the room with us. Gandalf was sitting by the window smoking his pipe, and he had said nothing to me the whole time. He continued to calmly smoke his pipe and watch me. Finally, I got the courage to speak.

"Gandalf!" I said. "When did you get here? Why weren't you at the Prancing Pony?"

"Oh Pearl! I am sorry that I put you through that. But I was delayed. I could not come because the wizard Saruman captured me," he said. He told me the most of the story of what happened to him, and I totally forgave him for not meeting us at the Prancing Pony. "You will be invited to attend Elrond's council after Frodo is completely recovered," he said.

"When will Frodo be better?" I asked. Just then, I felt Frodo's hand move.

**o0o**

TBC


	13. Pearl's Quest

A/N: The timeline is getting a bit muddled. Of course, Frodo doesn't leave the Shire until September, and doesn't get to Rivendell until October. So the timeline will be a bit different because this is mostly movie verse. I will attempt to keep the same amount of time it takes the Fellowship to get to, for example, Lorien.

The Journey Alone: Chapter 13

May 23, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

Pearl's POV

"_When will Frodo be better?" I asked. Just then, I felt Frodo's hand move._

"Frodo?" I asked, turning to him hopefully.

"Where am I?" Frodo asked.

"You are in Rivendell, and it is ten o'clock in the morning, if you wanted to know," Gandalf replied. I was too shocked to speak.

"Gandalf?"

"Yes, it is Gandalf. And Pearl, who has been very anxious to see you awake," Gandalf said. "She and Sam have hardly left your side." Frodo looked at me and smiled. I hugged him, even though Gandalf was right there. Then Sam burst in.

"Mr. Frodo! You're awake! Oh, we've been so worried about you!" he said, taking Frodo's other hand.

"And we owe much to Lord Elrond," Gandalf said, as the elf lord himself came up from somewhere behind Gandalf and surveyed the scene thoughtfully.

"Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Baggins," he said. Frodo smiled. "How is the shoulder?"

"Much better. It does not seem so cold or numb as before, and it does not hurt me," he replied.

"Good. Tomorrow, I think, you will be able to get up for at least part of the day. For now, though, stay in bed," he said. Frodo nodded, delighted at the thought of being able to get up so soon.

For the rest of the day, I sat by Frodo, leaned against his pillow and read to him, or answered his questions about what happened, or told jokes. Eventually, he fell asleep, but I stayed with him anyway. Finally, I fell asleep beside him.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

I woke up the next day to find Pearl asleep on my shoulder. I tried not to move too much, so she could keep sleeping, but I observed her thoughtfully from my spot on the bed. She looked much more peaceful when she was asleep, and less sad. Pearl had had hardly any time to grieve for the loss of our child, and much of the time had been spent worrying over me and our mission to bring the Ring to Rivendell and Bree. I hoped that both of us would find rest and healing in Rivendell before our return to the Shire. Little did I know what I would pledge to do in the coming hours.

Pearl started moving next to me, so I knew that she would be waking up soon. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at me.

"Hello Frodo," she said, laying her head on my chest. I kissed her hair. It was nice to not be fleeing from Black Riders for once. I was just enjoying time with my wife, which I had not gotten a lot of time to do previously. She turned her head and kissed me on the lips. And one thing led to another…

**o0o**

That afternoon, Merry, Pippin, Sam, Frodo, and I were enjoying the views from a balcony, when Frodo turned around and gasped. I followed his gaze and gasped as well. I was Bilbo, sitting on a bench with a book in his hand. He looked considerably older than when I had last seen him, which was a shock because he always seemed so young for his age. Frodo rushed forward and practically launched himself at Bilbo. Soon, he waved me over.

"Bilbo, this is my wife, Pearl," Frodo said, putting his arm around me.

"Not Pearl Took, is it? I remember you being sweet on Frodo since you were a lass!" he said, hugging me and kissing me on the cheek. I blushed, remembering how shamelessly I followed Frodo around. "When did you get married?" he asked.

"Last October," Frodo responded.

"Last October! You could've told me, Frodo! I would've stayed for the wedding, you know," he said, sounding disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Bilbo. We only got engaged the night of the Party," Frodo said.

"It's alright. But when am I going to get some young lads and lasses to call great nieces and nephews?" Bilbo asked, not knowing about the child that died. Pearl immediately cast her eyes down.

"Bilbo, we had a child that died. His name was…," I said, before I choked on tears. Pearl was sobbing at that point, and Bilbo wrapped his arms around both of us.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea," Bilbo said. Pearl continued to sob.

**o0o**

Later at the council, Pearl sat on one side of me and Gandalf sat on the other. WE finally learned the full story of what happened to Gandalf, that Strider was really called Aragorn and was the heir of Isildur, as well as the nature of the Ring. Gimli tried to get rid of the Ring with his axe, but of course, the Ring could not be destroyed that way. As the axe hit the Ring and broke the axe into a million pieces, I felt a shock go through my entire body, and I cried out briefly in pain. Gandalf looked at me in concern. I put a hand on my head, and Pearl put her hand on my arm. I looked back tentatively at the Ring. I watched in horror as Boromir described Mordor.

Then the big debate over who should take the Ring to Mordor started.

"Have you heard nothing of what Lord Elrond just said?" Legolas asked angrily, because Boromir was scoffing at the "folly" of going to Mordor to destroy the Ring. "The Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it!?" Gimli said, his dwarvish pride showing.

"And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" Boromir continued.

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!" Gimli said, standing up. This deeply offended the other elves, reigniting the dwarvish and elvish rivalry, which everyone had forgotten the origin of. The dwarves said it was the fault of the elves, and the elves said it was the fault of the dwarves. Soon, everyone was on their feet arguing with each other. Gandalf shook his head.

I stared at the Ring, imagining my life without it with fear and relief. Fear, because I could not bear the thought of not taking it with me for some reason, and with relief because It had caused so much upheaval and angst in my life. And then I thought how much Sauron would like to see everyone, who were supposed to be working together, fighting over an old feud and who should be the Ringbearer. Finally, I stood up.

"I will take it!" I said, trying to be heard over the pandemonium. I looked backat Pearl, who nodded to me with tears in her eyes. "I will take it!" I said again. This time everyone heard me. Gandalf closed his eyes in fear for me and turned toward me.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor, though…," I hesitated, "I do not know the way."

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins," Gandalf said. He put his hand on my shoulder, and I looked at him gratefully. "As long as it is yours to bear." Aragorn got up out of his chair.

"If by my life, or death, I can protect you, I will," he said as he knelt down. "You have my sword."

And so it went on, with each member of the Fellowship pledging their weapon to protect me. It was a bit intimidating, having all these great lords pledge to protect me even though they didn't know me. At the same time, it was nice to know that I wouldn't have to go alone. Once Legolas and Gimli had joined, Pearl piped up.

"What about me? I want to go with Frodo too! He _is _my husband, after all," she said.

"Hey!" a familiar voice shouted. "Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me!" Sam ran up from behind some plants and joined us. I smiled at him. Trust Sam to appear at just the right moment.

"No indeed, for it is hardly possible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not," Elrond said.

"Hey! We're coming too!" Merry said, running with Pippin from behind two pillars. Elrond looked exasperated, amazed, and impressed all at the same moment. "You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!" Merry said confidently. I looked at my cousins, surprised that they had been watching without anyone knowing, and that they had the bravery to join me on a quest that would most likely kill me.

"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest…. Thing," Pippin said. Gandalf shook his head at Elrond as if to say "no."

"Well that rules you out, Pip," Merry said, folding his arms. I rolled my eyes at the two of them.

"And so it is, the nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring," Elrond said. At first, I thought Elrond had just miscounted, because there were ten of us. But Pearl spoke up.

"But Lord Elrond… there are ten of us," she said.

"Indeed, Mistress Pearl. But I do not think it wise that you should come on this mission. I foresee something that will prevent you from going on a long journey," Elrond said. Pearl looked confused. "But I do have another mission for you in mind that would help Frodo. It is almost as dangerous, but I think that you will be able to handle it," he said. "I will speak of it to you later." He turned back to the Fellowship.

"Nine companions," he said.

"Right. So… where are we going?" Pippin said.

**o0o**

After the Council concluded, Pearl and I met Elrond in his study.

"What is the quest you are sending me on?" she asked, getting right to the point.

"I wish to send you on a journey to Lothlorien, to inform the Lord and Lady there of the Fellowship's formation, as they will most likely pass through there on their way to Mount Doom," Elrond said.

"But how do I get there?" Pearl asked.

"I would not send you alone. I intend to send my daughter Arwen and the elf lord Glorfindel with you, both of whom have been to Lorien many times," Elrond explained.

"Why do you need me to do this of all people?" Pearl asked.

"A fair question, Mistress Pearl. But I think that you will be of value on this quest, and I foresee that there is another purpose for you to go to Lorien," Elrond said mysteriously.

"Will Pearl be in any danger, Lord Elrond?" I asked him, concerned that Pearl would encounter the Black Riders or worse.

"She will be, Master Baggins. So do all who step outside their doors, as your Uncle Bilbo says. And so he discovered, on all his journeys. She will not be any more danger then you will, and she will be in the company of some of the greatest warrior elves of all time, so I wouldn't worry overmuch for her. I would be more worried for your own quest," Elrond explained.

"When do I start?" Pearl asked.

"In one week," Elrond said.

**o0o**


	14. Orcs in Hollin

The Journey Alone: Chapter 13

May 30, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

Pearl's POV

I stood outside the house of Elrond, surrounded by Arwen, Glorfindel, and their horses. Elrond, Gandalf, Aragorn, Bilbo, Frodo, Merry, Sam, and Pippin had come to bid us good bye. The Big Folk were discussing something quietly out of our earshot. The hobbits stood around me, and I hugged each one. I hugged Frodo last, and he squeezed me as if he'd never let go. I allowed him to kiss me, even as Pippin and Merry giggled and Sam turned red. Bilbo looked serene through the whole thing. I bowed to Lord Elrond and Aragorn, and hugged Gandalf. Finally, Arwen got on her horse and Glorfindel lifted me up to ride in front of her. I could ride as well as Frodo on a pony, but a pony could not keep up with the Elven horses. I looked back one last time at Frodo, who had tears in his eyes. Even Merry and Pippin looked somber and genuinely sad to see me go. I waved, and then turned to look ahead of me.

Once we started going, I was surprised that the horse moved gently even though it was going at a full gallop. I decided to break the rather awkward silence between Arwen and I. We had met the day before briefly, and I didn't know her well.

"What is the horse's name?" I asked her. She looked surprised to hear me speak, but she answered politely.

"Asfaloth. The same horse which I rode to rescue your husband," she responded. We again fell silent. I was beginning to think that coming with two elves was not such a good idea. Obviously they did not like to talk much.

**o0o**

That night, we stopped to camp, and Arwen pulled out a leaf covered, thin piece of bread. She handed one to Glorfindel and I and took one for herself.

"What is this called?" I asked timidly.

"Lembas. The Lorien elves make it," she said.

"Oh. I can get something more substantial, if you'd like," I said. Arwen looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I took that as a yes. Immediately, I picked up a stone and tried to spot a rabbit in the surrounding landscape, which consisted of trees and short shrubs. I saw something move out of the corner of my eye and threw the stone toward it. I found the spot where the stone landed and found a large rabbit, dead on the ground. I picked it up and brought it back to Arwen and Glorfindel and proceeded to skin it.

I had to bite back my laughter because Glorfindel did a double take when he saw what I was doing. Both elves had stopped eating and were staring at me skinning the rabbit. Finally, Arwen had the presence of mind to start gathering wood for a fire. She had one going by the time I had caught another rabbit and skinned both of them.

Half an hour later, I had a rabbit stew made, and had won the respect of both elves. They had probably thought that I was a privileged hobbit-lass who had never been out in the wild before. Not so when you're married to a hobbit like Frodo. Soon, I had started a conversation with them; they answered my questions with a much friendlier tone. I did not blame them for their silence before: we barely knew each other and Arwen and Glorfindel were not exactly Merry and Pippin. They were elves thousands of years old on a serious journey which could be threatened at any time by orcs or Black Riders or countless other evil things.

I even ate the Lembas bread. At first, I ate it to be polite, but after a couple bites, I ate it because it was the best thing I had ever eaten.

"What is this made of?" I asked as I ate the Lembas ravenously. Arwen and Glorfindel laughed, which, a few minutes earlier, I would have thought they were incapable of doing.

"It is made with ingredients that hobbits have no doubt never heard of before. It is intended to provide nourishment when travelling and other food cannot be prepared. It is rather like the cram that you have no doubt heard of from Bilbo's stories, but more pleasant tasting and longer lasting," Arwen explained. I nodded, and continued to eat it.

"It is a special honor that any other than elves be allowed to eat it because it produces a rather…Elvish effect on mortals," Glorfindel said. I stopped eating.

"What do you mean?" I asked, irrationally afraid that I was going to turn into an elf.

"Do not fear, Mistress Pearl. It causes an unnatural "sea-longing" effect when mortals depend on it for long periods. You should not have this problem, due to your superior hunting capabilities," Glorfindel said, gesturing to the stew. I smiled, and changed the subject.

"How much longer should it take to get to Lorien?" I asked. I really had no idea how far Lorien was from Rivendell, and I was curious to see how long I would e travelling.

"That is hard to say. Since it is summer, it should not take as long as it does during the colder part of the year. We will have to pass over the Misty Mountains, which should not take too long, unless we are disturbed by orcs," Arwen said. I must have looked scared, because Arwen reassured me.

"Do not be afraid! Both Glorfindel and I are well-trained warriors, and I would dare say that you are not defenseless after seeing you take out the rabbit with a mere stone! So, I believe that it will take us about three weeks," Arwen said.

Eventually we settled down to sleep, after a long evening of talking and getting to know each other.

**o0o**

A week later, we had reached a place called Hollin. The Misty Mountains loomed ahead of us, and gradually they seemed to get closer. It was nearing evening when we were preparing to stop and camp for the night when we heard a howling noise. I had never heard the noise before, but Arwen and Glorfindel had. They looked grave, and I asked Arwen what the noise was.

"They are wargs, who allow orcs to ride on them. Where wargs are, orcs are not far off. If you see something in the distance, let us know, although we will probably see it first. It is very important that you stay with us," Arwen said. I kept my eyes peeled as we abandoned the idea of stopping. A few minutes later, Glorfindel yelled out to us.

"Ai! Yrch!" he said in Elvish. Arwen just looked more determined. I could not see the orcs until a few minutes later. We were riding right towards the orcs and not slowing down one bit. And neither were the orcs.

"We're going to run right into the orcs!" I screamed to Arwen.

"No, we're going to try to outrun them. There are too many of them for us to defeat," Arwen said. She didn't say it, but I could tell that they were only going to try to outrun them because of me. If it were just Arwen and Glorfindel, they would be able to kill every single orc without a scratch. But because of me, they had to avoid the orcs altogether. This just made me even more determined to do my best to take out as many orcs as I could, although without a weapon, I probably couldn't accomplish much.

After a tense few moments of charging towards the pack of orcs mounted on wargs, we were finally among them. Arwen threw the reins to me and I steered while she slashed right and left at the orcs. I urged the horse ahead and tried to ignore the orcs. This strategy seemed to work until one orc came too close to comfort.

Arwen was engaged with an orc on the left side of the horse when I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, an orc with feral yellow eyes charging at us. I turned to him and yelled for Arwen. It was too late, because the orc reached us just as Arwen was turning toward it. He aimed for my chest, but I kicked his arm so that he only slashed my leg. It wasn't too deep a cut, but it HURT. I cried out and put a hand over the wound to try to staunch the bleeding and it quickly soaked my hand with red blood. Arwen could not stop to tend to it because the orcs continued to attack us from all sides. I held the reins in one hand and my leg with the other and wished the ors would just go away.

Finally we passed through all the orcs and continued galloping towards the Misty Mountains. The orcs seemed to want to follow us for a moment, but they hesitated and finally left us. Once it was obvious that the orcs would not pursue us, we finally stopped. Arwen had to lift me from the horse, but it had stopped bleeding as profusely.

"You're lucky you did not get a worse wound than this," Glorfindel said as he wrapped the wound in clean white gauze. He was right; it was not deep and had not bled too much. It did hurt to put weight on it, however. Once the wound was taken care of we continued to ride even though it would be dark soon. We didn't want to risk running into more orcs, especially at night, Eventually, I fell asleep on the horse.

**o0o**

Sorry for the length; next chapter should be longer. I just wanted to get this up because I haven't updated for the past few days. Since we already know Frodo's journey, we will mostly hear from Pearl until Frodo gets to Lorien.


	15. Lorien

Listening to LOTR soundtrack while writing. Both a distraction and inspiration… ;)

The Journey Alone: Chapter 15

June 7, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

Pearl's POV

Not long after our encounter with the orcs, we finally started climbing the Misty Mountains. Once we crossed the mountains, we would reach Lorien very quickly. I was glad of this, as I was ready for the journey to be over. My leg still hurt and I could not stand on it without support.

Although not noticeable at first, gradually the temperature grew colder as we climbed higher and higher. In some places, the path got very narrow. I clung to Arwen's arms and closed my eyes when we passed by the narrower parts. I didn't know that I had a fear of heights, but after that trip, I was definitely afraid of heights. It is also somewhat the nature of hobbits to be afraid of heights we don't have second stories on our houses for this reason. Elves, on the other hand, don't mind heights at all and often build on high hills and have second and even third stories.

We continued to move along at a fairly high rate of speed. I could only imagine how long our journey would take if we were on foot. However, the higher we got, the slower the horses moved. I didn't mind the slower rate of speed because I was deathly afraid of falling from the horse and falling down the mountain. The constant movement kept us from getting to cold as well, and I didn't want a repeat of my near-freezing to death last Christmas.

We did not encounter any evil creatures on the mountain, although we did see a flock of birds fly over us. Glorfindel glanced suspiciously at the sky when they passed over and looked back at Arwen. He seemed to communicate something silently to her, and he looked worried. I frowned and wondered what this new development could mean. Nothing ever came of it, so I wasn't too concerned about it.

Once we passed over the Mountains, we continued one more day to Lorien. We entered an incredibly old-looking forest. Moss was growing everywhere, and the sunlight pierced through the trees easily. It gave the place a mystical quality. It was a definitely Elvish place, in a different way from Rivenedell. Glorfindel and Arwen were in their element. They knew exactly where they were going and guided the horses with ease between the trees. Then I noticed that the trees weren't of a kind that I was familiar with. They weren't maple or oak or rowan; they seemed to be a kind of Elvish species.

Suddenly, an elf appeared out of nowhere. He smiled at Arwen and Glorfindel and said something in Elvish. They continued to have a conversation in Elvish. I could tell that they were talking about me because they glanced at me every so often. Finally, it seemed that the elf understood something about me and led us further in the forest. Other elves joined us along the way.

"Who is that elf?" I asked Arwen as we rode farther into the forest.

"His name is Haldir. I have known him since he was a little elfling, but he had to ask about you since he doesn't know you," Arwen explained.

"Where is he taking us?" I asked.

"To Caras Galadhon," Arwen said.

"What is that?" I asked. Arwen sighed, annoyed.

"You ask too many questions. It is the city of the Elves that live here," she said. I stopped asking questions after that. Tooks are naturally inquisitive. I'm not nearly as bad as Pippin though.

After a long while of riding through streams, weaving through trees, and following narrow paths, we finally entered the city. It was not what I was expecting, however. Most of the city seemed to be high up in the ancient trees. Winding staircases led to flat platforms in the branches where the Elves had their main buildings. They had a few structures on the forest floor, which was where they led us when we first got there. Haldir left to announce our presence to Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. We got off out horses and tried to relax.

The horses were led away by some elves, and food was delivered to us. The table was very high, and I knew that I would not be able to comfortably sit and eat at the table. Fortunately, Glorfindel noticed my plight and found something for me to sit on. Arwen and Glorfindel found this to be amusing, but I felt myself blushing scarlet. I pretended to take no notice of their badly covered up giggles and immersed myself in eating: I was starving.

About an hour after we arrived at Caras Galadhon, Haldir came back to escort us to meet the Lord and Lady of Lorien. I was nervous, and I could tell that Arwen knew this.

'Pearl, did you know that Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn are my grandparents on my mother's side?" she asked as we walked up the many flights of stairs to the flet, as the Elves called them.

"No," I said, genuinely surprised. I wondered how old Elves would look like, since the Lord and Lady must be older than Elrond and Glorfindel, who both looked ageless. It was not long before I got out of breath. Arwen and Glorfindel showed no sign of becoming tired even after climbing the twenty-fifth flight of stairs. Glorfindel finally paused to ask me a question.

"Pearl, would you like me to carry you?" he asked me. I proudly told him no.

Ten minutes later, I timidly asked him to carry me.

Glorfindel smiled and picked me up and put me on his hip. When we finally made it to the flet, he set me down. It was a much shorter walk to where we would meet the Lord and Lady. Aren and Glorfindel stood proudly while I fidgeted constantly, suddenly very aware of how short I was. I watched nervously at the top of the steps where I knew that the elves would come out. Finally, I saw a bright light, and was momentarily half-blinded. The light dimmed slightly, and I was able to see Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. I was surprised to see that Galadriel was the lady in white from my dreams. Then I noticed that both of them were as ageless as Arwen, Elrond, Glorfindel, and Legolas. The two Elves stopped at the bottom step and gazed at us serenely. Galadriel looked at Glorfindel and almost seemed to pierce his soul with her eyes. Then she looked at Arwen and half-smiled. Then she turned to me, and I could her voice in my head.

_So you are Pearl Baggins, wife of the Ringbearer._

I was surprisingly able to communicate in silence as well.

_Yes, I am._

_You are a good wife for him. He needs someone to love him. He should not be alone._

_Yes, he's far too likely to get lost or hurt._

Galadriel smiled radiantly.

_He should be glad that you are with child, I think._

_What?!_

But as soon as she said this, I realized it was true. I did not want to believe it yet.

_Yes, you are, but not yet far along. It is a good thing you were riding an Elvish horse, or I would fear for the child._

_But I haven't felt nauseous...or missed…IT…at all!_

She smiled again.

_You are only about a month along. And each child is different. You may not feel it the same as with your other child._

She abruptly stopped speaking in her head and hugged Arwen. Celeborn spoke quietly with Glorfindel, and then both of them owed to me. I realized with some embarrassment that I had not given them this proper courtesy and hastily bowed to them. This seemed to amuse the much.

We moved to another flet, one with a council table and chairs and sat down. It seemed odd to sit at such a large table, especially without all the chairs filled. The circular table was carved beautifully and painted a clean white color.

"Why has Lord Elrond sent you here?" Celeborn inquired. It was obvious that he was curious why _I _was there. Not every day does a hobbit travel with an Elven princess and lord to Lorien.

"It is a matter of great importance and significance. A month ago, the Ring was brought to Imladris by the hobbit Frodo Baggins. This is his wife Pearl Baggins. It has been decided that this Frodo Baggins shall be the Ringbearer. He and his eight companions are travelling to Mordor to destroy the Ring. They are Mithrandir, Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood, Aragorn son of Arathorn, Boromir son of Denethor, Meriadoc Brandybuck of the Shire, Peregrin Took of the Shire, and Samwise Gamgee of the Shire," Glorfindel explained.

"And what of the ninth companion?" Celeborn asked. Glorfindel hesitated.

"He is a dwarf, the son of one of the dwarves who accompanied Bilbo Baggins. Gimli son of Gloin," Glorfindel said. Celeborn looked stern, but Galadriel seemed to delight in this. She smiled radiantly. I was starting to like Galadriel, strange though she was.

"When did the company leave?" Galadriel asked.

"They should have left not long after we did. They should be here in a week or two if all goes well," Arwen said to her grandmother. Galadriel nodded.

"We are glad that you have come. You no doubt wish to take rest after long journey. You shall be shown to your rooms shortly," she said. "Yours shall be on the ground, Pearl. Your people do not like heights, do they not?" I nodded shyly. Tall silent elves appeared out of nowhere when we stood up. Galadriel and Celeborn bowed, and we followed suit. Then the elves led us down the stairs. I discovered that it was much easier to go _down_ the stairs than up.

We walked a short distance to a room partially made up of tree roots. The elves bowed, and Glorfindel inclined his head. I did the same. Then Arwen surprised me: she hugged me. I was too shocked to do anything at first, but I eventually recovered and hugged her back.

"I am happy for you," she whispered. Then she was gone. I wondered what she meant. Did she mean the baby or something else? Deciding to leave it until the morning, I threw myself on the soft sheets and fell asleep.

**o0o**

A week later, I still had no insight to what Arwen meant. I didn't trouble myself with trying to figure it out. I was much more concerned with meeting elves, who were delighted to meet someone so small. Apparently elves don't have children often, and they were longing for someone that they could pick up or tousle their hair or treat as a child. Of course they never did any of those things to me because they realized that I wasn't a child, but I could tell that they wanted to treat me as a child.

I thought about this and many other things as I was trying to fall asleep. Eventually I drifted off into a light sleep only to be woken up not long after. It was still dark and I wasn't awoken by any noise. I looked around trying to see what caused me to awaken. Finally I got up, intending to look at the stars, which seemed to be brighter in Lorien than in the Shire.

When I got up I saw an ethereal Galadriel walking in the other direction. She turned and indicated that I should follow her. Hesitantly, I tiptoed over the roots and followed after her. I noticed that she had bare feet, and I wondered if elves often went with no shoes like hobbits.

Finally we seemed to reach our destination. A stream tinkled gently near us, reflecting the starlight in the water. A bowl stood on a pedestal near me. Galadriel went to the stream and dipped a silver pitcher in the water before pouring it into the bowl.

"This is my mirror that shows the past, present, and future. Will you look?" she asked when she was done pouring.

"May I?" I asked. She nodded. I went up to the bowl and had to stand on toes to see into it. I leaned over and gazed at my reflection. Then the water changed.

**o0o**

Sorry this took so long! I've been really busy. Updates should be about once a week now that it is fall.


	16. Reunited

It just dawned on me how long this is. And it's only about half-done. Woo-hoo! My first really long fanfic!

The Journey Alone: Chapter 16

June 14, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

"_May I?" I asked. She nodded. I went up to the bowl and had to stand on toes to see into it. I leaned over and gazed at my reflection. Then the water changed._

I saw the Fellowship as they stood in Rivendell. When I had seen it in real life, I had been busy taking in the entire Company as a whole, and absorbing the fact that all these people were coming with Frodo on this life-changing journey while I wasn't. This time, though, as I viewed it for the second time through Galadriel's mirror, I was able to focus on Frodo. I hadn't noticed before, but Frodo looked proud and surprised and ready to cry all at once. What really surprised me was that he looked scared.

Not just scared, but _afraid_. Really afraid.

I didn't like it when Frodo looked like that.

Last time Frodo looked scared, we were being hunted down by Black Riders who wanted to kill me and do worse than that to Frodo. Before I had time to really process this, the mirror's image shifted, and I saw Sam leading a pony briefly, his brown eyes flickering with something that looked vaguely like concern. The mirror didn't linger too long on this image, however, and passed to another of Frodo.

He was climbing a mountain that looked suspiciously like Caradhras. The sun was shining on the snow, causing Frodo to squint. They must have been pretty high up on the mountain for the snow to be as deep as it was. In fact, the snow was high enough to be up to Frodo's knees. I could tell that he was struggling to keep his balance and not fall face first into the cold snow. Suddenly, he tripped, and instead of falling forwards, he fell backwards. My heart nearly went into my mouth, but Aragorn appeared in the mirror and stopped him from falling. He helped Frodo get up and brushed some of the snow off. Frodo put his hand in his shirt as if searching for something. A look of panic came on his because it seemed that he couldn't find what he was looking for. It took a second for me to realize what he was looking for: the Ring.

The bane of our existence.

The reason we started on this horrid journey.

The reason _my_ Frodo was always looking scared, or hurt, and ready to burst into tears at any moment.

I was staring to not like this mirror so much, not to mention the Ring.

Then Frodo looked up, back to where he was before he fell. The entire Fellowship had stopped and was staring down at Frodo, Aragorn, and… Boromir. Boromir had picked up the Ring by it chain and was looking at intently.

"It is strange, that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing," he said, and nearly touched the Ring with his other hand.

"Frodo!" I yelled, not realizing that the scene was only happening in the mirror. The scene ended after that, and the next few images were more rapid. I saw Legolas shooting down something from a dark stony battlement, Frodo crying so hard that he could barely breathe, a forest burning to the ground, a young boy and Pippin running through a city, and my mother weeping and my father holding her, a letter in his hand. The last image I saw was of Frodo on a ship, smiling serenely at me. At that point, I was nearly in tears, but Frodo's smile made me smile, and so it saved me the embarrassment of crying in front of the Lady Galadriel. The water in the mirror returned to reflecting the stars, and I stepped back from the bowl and took a deep breath.

I raised my eyes to Galadriel, who now stood a few feet from the mirror and was watching me. She smiled at me, and I got the courage to ask her what I feared.

"Is… is everything in the mirror true? I mean, does it show what will happen in the future?" I asked hesitantly. Galadriel was intimidating, even if she did have bare feet.

"That I do not know. The mirror shows the past, present, and future," Galadriel explained. Then Galadriel did something unexpected. She glided over to me and knelt down to my level, and put her hands on my shoulders. "Do not worry for Frodo. He should be arriving sooner than you think." I nodded, but then I saw something that I hadn't noticed before. Galadriel wore a ring on her finger. She saw me looking at her ring, and looked grave.

"Pearl, what do you see when you look at my fingers?" she asked, her brow wrinkling in confusion.

"I see a ring," I said, not realizing how odd Galadriel thought this was.

"That is strange. It is one of the Elven Rings, and it is usually hidden to mortals," she said, rising to her full height.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. Perhaps it is because of your connection with the Ringbearer," she said.

"And I accidentally touched the Ring once. I lost a baby because of it," I explained. Galadriel looked sad, and it dawned on me that Galadriel, even though she was a great Elven Lady, was a mother too. She was a grandmother, too, although she didn't look like one. Her eyes grew soft, and she sat down on a nearby moss covered bench. She was still enormously tall while sitting, but it made her look more approachable. I sat beside her, my legs dangling because they did not reach the floor.

"My daughter Celebrian left for the Undying Lands many years ago," she said, almost sadly.

"I'm sorry," I said, not exactly sure what she meant. She smiled and laughed a clear and beautiful laugh.

"Hobbits are very endearing. I am most excited to meet Frodo," she said. I nodded, feeling very sleepy all of a sudden. Galadriel started to sing something in Elvish, and I started falling asleep. Somehow, my head eventually was in Galadriel's lap, and she stroked my hair until I was asleep.

**o0o**

While in Lorien, the time seemed to pass slowly or not at all. The days began to blur together, which was why I was surprised when Arwen and Glorfindel told me they were leaving.

"What? I thought you were going to stay until the Fellowship arrived!" I said. Arwen smiled.

"We cannot stay. We must go back to Rivendell and prepare for the War of the Ring," Glorfindel said.

"We would have left much earlier, but it was not safe in your condition," Arwen said, referring to the baby.

"Oh," I said. "So I have to stay here until h or she is born?"

"That I do not know. But it is a beautiful place, is it not? And the Fellowship will be arriving soon," Arwen said. She knelt down and hugged me. "I will miss you." Of course, I started crying.

"Me too," I said. I bowed to Glorfindel, wiping the tears from my eyes rather awkwardly. I couldn't ever imagine a great Elven lord like Glorfindel crying, and so was quite embarrassed to be crying in front of him. Glorfindel surprised me by giving me a hug, too.

The two elves turned and walked away.

**o0o**

My time in Lorien continued to pass very slowly, and I spent my days listening to the elves sing, taking long walks around the forest, even though the elves were constantly guarding me, and trying to decipher Elvish books from the little Elvish I had learned from Frodo and my time in Rivendell.

I did not see Lady Galadriel often, and I saw Lord Celeborn even less. I sometimes saw Galadriel walking at a distance with her attendants, and she always smiled at me when she noticed me. One day, an elf found me at my room reading an Elvish book.

"Mistress Pearl, the Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel request your presence this morning on the flet. They said to tell you that someone is here to see you," he said.

"Really? Did they say who it was?" I asked.

"No, but if you wish, I could take you there now," he said. I nodded and scurried down from the high Elvish chair. I climbed the stairs to the flet easily that time, since I had much more practice climbing up and down the stairs. Once we reached the top, I gasped. The entire Fellowship stood on the flet, and turned when they heard me.

Frodo was grinning, although he looked sad about something. Pippin and Merry yelled out my name, and Aragorn and Boromir laughed. Legolas smiled serenely and Gimli let loose his deep and earthy laugh.

I ran to Frodo and threw my arms around him. I buried my head in his shoulder and refused to let go. With his arms still around me, he kissed me. Both of us were laughing, although tears ran down both of our faces. I squeezed him one more time, and pulled away. I hugged all of the hobbits, and even hugged the rest of the Fellowship. But then I realized someone was missing.

"Where's Gandalf?" I asked, suddenly afraid of the answer. I looked at Frodo, who immediately got tears in his eyes. Aragorn answered for him.

"He fell in Moria," he said.

"What? What do you mean, he _fell_?" I asked. "He's not dead, is he?" Aragorn nodded. I started crying, tears of raw grief falling from my eyes. Somehow I found myself sitting on the floor, crying so hard I was almost choking. Frodo came over, his face totally white, and gathered me into his arms. I never realized that Gandalf was capable of dying. Gandalf was always around; he knew my father and grandfather, and never seemed a day older than he was.

**o0o**

Frodo's POV

Galadriel and Celeborn had just left us when I turned around and saw Pearl. She looked totally surprised to see us, as I was too. For the next few minutes, all I could think of was Pearl, and nothing else mattered. I kissed her, and I didn't care that everyone else was watching. For a moment, I forgot that Gandalf was dead, that I would have to face the journey alone, without anyone to guide me.

Pearl's reaction to Gandalf's death surprised me. I knew that she'd known him almost as long as I had, but I never anticipated that display of grief from Pearl. She sank to the floor, so I held her head in my lap and let her cry her grief out. She cried for awhile, but then the tears abruptly stopped.

"Pearl?" I asked "Pearl, are you alright?" She did not respond. Aragorn looked sad, and knelt next to her.

"I think she fainted," he said. "The shock was too much for her." I nodded, and took her hand and kissed it, before Aragorn picked up her limp form and stood up. "We should take her to get some rest."

Sam was immediately at my side to help me up, and I accepted his help gratefully. Seeing Pearl so upset had taken a lot out of me. An elf appeared and indicated that we should follow him. He led us to Pearl's room, where she was laid on the bed. Aragorn and I stayed with her, while the rest of the Fellowship was shown to their rooms.

"She should be fine when she wakes up, but if she does seem to be worse, I will come check on her in the morning," Aragorn said. Then he was gone.

I stayed up for most of the night with Pearl, even though she did not wake. It was so good just to see her again. I did not realize how much I missed her.

**o0o**

TBC


	17. Pearl's New Quest

The Journey Alone: Chapter 16

June 22, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

Pearl's POV

I awoke with the clear morning light in my eyes. Frodo was asleep next to me, with his arms loosely wrapped around my waist. Some of his curly hair had fallen into his face, so I gently moved it to the side and tried not to wake him. He stirred in his sleep, and I froze, afraid that I had woken him. Apparently I had, because he opened his morning glory eyes and smiled at me.

"Are you alright, Pearl?" he asked.

"Of course I am," I said, sitting up. He removed his arms from my waist and slung one of them around my shoulders. I smiled. I was so happy to have him back. I kissed him on the nose, and then I finally got out of bed.

It was then that I noticed a weird scent in the air. I had no idea what it was, but it immediately made me feel nauseous. I hadn't yet decided how I would tell Frodo I was pregnant, but I knew I did not want to tell him by vomiting in front of him.

"Privy," I choked out, and ran from the room. I hurried to behind a tree and was promptly sick. Unfortunately, the smell was much stronger outside than in the room. Since I had just woken and I hadn't yet eaten anything, there wasn't much in my stomach to come back up. Still, the smell made me dry heave until I nearly choked on my tongue.

"Pearl?" I heard Frodo say from somewhere near me. I hadn't been able to go too far from the room, so Frodo would probably be able to find me easily. I continued dry heaving, until Frodo appeared from the other side of the tree.

"Pearl! Are you alright?" he asked, looking concerned. I managed to tell him I was fine before I again dry heaved. He put a hand on my back and ran his fingers through my hair. "I'm going to find Aragorn, alright?" he said. I nodded. He ran off, and by the time Aragorn got there, the smell had relented, and I was feeling much better.

Aragorn got to me much faster than Frodo did. He ran over to me where I was attempting to rise and helped me stand.

"Let's get you to your room," he said. I nodded, too worn out to care one way or the other. We arrived at the room, and Aragorn set me on the unmade bed.

"Frodo, go fetch one of the healer elves. Legolas should be able to help you find one of them," he told Frodo. Frodo kissed me on the cheek and ran off.

As soon as he was gone, I made up my mind. I would not tell Frodo. He was already worried too much about the quest; he did not need to worry about me as well.

"Aragorn, I'm pregnant," I told him. He stopped what he was doing and stared at me.

"What?" he said, shocked.

'I'm pregnant. That's why I was sick. I don't want to tell Frodo though. He has enough to worry about without having to worry about me," I explained. Aragorn nodded, understanding.

When the healer elves, Frodo and Legolas got there, Aragorn whispered something to the healer elves. They looked surprised, then smiled, bowed and went away.

"Why did they leave? I thought they were coming to help Pearl," Frodo said, looking confused.

"Pearl is feeling much better. I don't think we have need of them any longer," Aragorn said. I looked at Aragorn gratefully, glad that he was covering for looked suspiciously at us, but did not press the matter further.

**o0o**

Over the next few days, the fellowship and I enjoyed our time in Lorien. The fact that the Fellowship would eventually have to keep going toward Mordor weighed heavily on my mind, but I tried not to think about it too much.

Once the elves had heard of Gandalf's death, they immediately started singing laments for him. They were beautiful but depressing, and I had a hard tie keeping myself from crying whenever they began singing them. Somehow the elves had a way of making their singing heard through the entire forest, so it was impossible to escape.

Although he tried to hide it, Frodo often cried himself to sleep when the elves sang.

One night, Frodo fell asleep quite early. He was so exhausted and could never really catch up on his sleep. Sam came in with two plates of food for us.

"Hello Sam," I said from the Elvish sized chair that I was quite used to by then.

"Hello Pearl. I brought you and Mister Frodo some food, but it seems Mr. Frodo is asleep," he said.

"Indeed. Why don't you join me, Sam. I haven't seen you in awhile," I invited. Sam looked a little uncomfortable, but he obliged and sat at the other chair. "Sam, tell me what happened on your way here. I've yet to hear the full story," I asked as I dug into the food.

"Mistress Pearl, you know I'm no story teller," he started to say.

"Nonsense! You are a hobbit, and can tell a decent story no matter what!" I said.

"Alright, Pearl," he said, and proceeded to tell me the story from the day I left Rivendell. I did not interrupt him, but almost choked several times, especially when he told me Frodo had been nearly crushed to death by a troll. When he finished, I was almost in tears. Everything Frodo had gone through was so horrific; it was only the beginning though. I could only imagine the terrible things Frodo would have to witness on his way to Mordor.

"Don't cry, Pearl," Sam said. I don't know why I said it, but I did.

"I can't help it, Sam. I'm pregnant," I told him, the tears continuing to roll down my cheeks.

"What?" Sam said.

"I'm pregnant. Don't tell Frodo. I don't want him to have to worry about me. The reason I'm telling you is if, Eru forbid, Frodo's dying," I said, still crying. Sam looked concerned and confused about what to do. Finally he, hugged me, and helped me to bed once the tears had mostly stopped.

**o0o**

Finally it was decided that the Fellowship would leave. Celeborn gave them boats, as they would be travelling on the River Anduin. The entire Fellowship was given gifts.

While the boats were being prepared, and the supplies packed, Frodo found me. He kissed me for a long time. When he pulled away, I opened my mouth to say something and found that I didn't know what to say. I started crying, and he hugged me tightly. I found myself finally understanding why Frodo hated goodbyes so much.

"I love you," he said, tears floating in his eyes.

"I love you too," I said, trembling a little. We walked back to the boats, where everything was packed, and the fellowship was waiting for us. Sam met my eyes and nodded. Frodo got into the boats, and they paddled away.

**o0o**

After Frodo left, I didn't feel much like doing anything. I had gotten so used to him being there with me over the month he was there. And I had no idea when, if ever, I would see him again. The startling realization that I might never see Frodo again was enough to make me want to stay in bed all day, doing nothing. So that was exactly what I did.

Nothing in particular happened while I was in Lorien after the Fellowship left. It seemed that elves didn't do much but sing and walk around reciting poetry. Which was alright, even beautiful, but after awhile I was getting sick of it all. After a couple of weeks, I was missing some warm hobbit food and company.

About a month after the Fellowship left, I was summoned to Galadriel and Celeborn's flet, the one where I had been reunited with the Fellowship. I was extremely curious about why I was called there in the first place; I hadn't seen Galadriel and Celeborn since the Fellowship left. When I finally reached the top of the long flights of stairs, I stood there looking ridiculous. My mouth hung open, and I pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

Gandalf, clothed in splendorous white, was standing in front of me.

And laughing at me.

"Gandalf?" I asked, not sure how it could be possible. Gandalf was dead. He fell into a chasm, giving up his life to save the others.

"Yes, Pearl, it is Gandalf," he said, his eyes twinkling, and looking more merry than he had for years.

"But I thought you were dead!" I said. I was rooted to my spot with shock.

"Indeed, I was! But come sit down. You have just had a quite a shock, which is not good for you in your condition," he said, guiding me over to a chair and glancing briefly at my stomach. I wondered how he knew I was pregnant, since I hadn't begun to show yet, but figured that he knew because he was a wizard. I blushed and sat down.

Once he had explained to me how he had fought off and killed the balrog, died himself and come back to life, he was quite sick of my questions.

"Really Pearl! Sometimes you are worse than Pippin! Quite the Took, you know," he said, not unkindly, but teasingly, nonetheless. I blushed to my ears and quieted down. "Now for my questions," he said. 'How was Frodo, when you saw him?"

"He was as well as could be expected. Of course, he was still upset over _you_. In fact, he seemed sad and depressed the whole time he was here," I explained. Gandalf looked grave. He closed his eyes and mumbled something to himself. Then he sighed.

"Pearl, I want you to be aware that Frodo might not come back. There is a possibility that he will die on the quest," he said sadly.

"I know it. And it's a bit too late for me to change my mind about him going now, isn't it?" I said, sighing as well. Gandalf smiled at me sadly and pulled me into a hug.

"I just wish there was something I could do to help him," I said, "I'm so worthless to the Quest." Gandalf seemed to think for a moment.

"I think perhaps you_ could_ help," he said. I could feel my eyes light up.

"What? What do I do?" I asked eagerly.

"Don't get your hopes too high up. It is possible that you would not be able to do what I'm planning in your condition, but we will see," he said. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what that could mean.

"You know, Frodo doesn't know," I said. "He doesn't know that I'm with child."

"You didn't tell him? Oh Pearl," he said.

"I didn't want to have him have to worry about me. He has enough on his plate already," I said. Gandalf nodded.

"If he survives, which I dearly hope he does, it will be a great joy to him," Gandalf said. I smiled, thinking about the future, when the world would be returned to blessed happiness and joy, if indeed Frodo succeeded and lived through it.

"But what am I going to do to help?" I asked. Gandalf smiled.

"Ah! I think that is another story altogether," he started.

**o0o**

TBC

Updates should probably be about every two weeks, as you've probably surmised. Possibly weekly if I get the time over the weekend. Well, I don't know. This chapter was hard to write because I'm not sure how I want to get Pearl where I need her to go and have it make sense. If you have any suggestions for the story, drop me a review. I'm open to any ideas, really. Or just drop me a review regardless.


	18. Treebeard

The Journey Alone: Chapter 18

July 14, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

Pearl's POV

"_But what am I going to do to help?" I asked. Gandalf smiled._

"_Ah! I think that is another story altogether," he started._

I beamed, ready for a good story, especially one with the ending of me helping Frodo somehow. I scooted my chair closer to Gandalf's with some difficulty, as the chair was much larger than I was.

"I need to see an old friend of mine as soon as possible. He should be of great help to our cause if I can convince him that his help is needed," Gandalf said.

"Who is he?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. Gandalf frowned, his eyebrows bristling dangerously.

"Pearl! What did I say about asking questions?" he said, annoyed. But he answered my question nonetheless. "He is Treebeard, an ent. And before you ask, ents are shepherds of the forest. Indeed, they look rather like trees. I think you would liken them to the tress in the Old Forest. If I can convince Treebeard and the other ents to join us in the fight against Sauron, then we will have just the ally we need, especially with Saruman turning traitor." He paused. "Pearl, I would like you to come with me."

"Me? But what can I do?" I asked.

"I think that Treebeard would be more likely to listen to you," he said.

"Me? Why should he care about what a hobbit says?" I asked.

"For one thing, he has never seen a hobbit before. It will intrigue him to see a creature so small. The ents have not had children in many years," Gandalf said.

"And why is that?" I asked while unconsciously stroking my belly.

"They lost the entwives. But you are better off asking an elf for that story," Gandalf said cryptically. I must've looked confused, because Gandalf suddenly threw back his head and laughed. I smiled, still slightly confused.

"Very well. We'll leave tomorrow," he said, sobering. I nodded, determined to help the Fellowship in any way I could.

**o0o**

That night I had another dream.

_The Fellowship was sitting around a very low fire conversing among themselves quietly. Sam was cooking something in his beloved pots. Frodo sat beside him, silently staring at the ground. My heart ached for him, but the dream did not linger on him for long._

_Aragorn and Boromir were arguing as quietly as possible about something. Legolas and Gimli were talking civilly—even amicably to each other, which was a bit of a surprise. Then the dream showed me Merry and Pippin. Pippin had his head in his hands and his shoulders were shaking with silent tears. Merry seemed to be the only one who had noticed that Pippin was crying._

"_Pippin, remember when we snuck into Frodo's pantry and…" Merry started, but Pippin interrupted him._

"_Merry, I don't want to think about that right now. We might never see Pearl again or the Shire and Gandalf is dead!" Pippin said. His head sank down again and he started sobbing. Frodo seemed to break out of stupor and came over to Pippin. Merry looked at him, tears starting to well up in his own eyes. He was obviously at a loss for what to do. Frodo gave him a small smile and sat down next to Pippin. He slung an arm around Pippin, who turned to Frodo and started crying all over Frodo. Frodo sighed and seemed about to cry himself._

I woke with wetness on my pillow and on my face. I had no doubt that my dream was real, and that it actually had happened, or was about to happen. The grey morning light was streaming into the room, and the birds had begun chirping cheerfully, so I got up and dressed quickly. It was then that I noticed for the first time that I had a very slight belly, nothing that could be noticed through my clothes. I cheered up after that.

I went out of the room where the sun was rising slowly and leaking through the trees. Lorien really was quite beautiful; I would be sad to leave it. Suddenly I became aware of an elf approaching. I turned towards him and smiled. He bowed and gave me a slight smile.

"Gandalf sent me to fetch you. He wishes to leave as soon as possible," the elf said.

"I am ready to go. Just let me fetch my bag," I said. I got my bag and hurried back to the elf. He turned and started leading me through the trees. Finally we reached the foot of the tree that had Galadriel's flet. Galadriel, Celeborn, Gandalf, and a few other attendant elves were standing there waiting for me.

"Pearl," Galadriel said in greeting. She and Celeborn inclined their heads. I walked closer, and she indicated that I should come closer. In her hand she held the green leaf brooch that the Fellowship received. She pinned it on the shoulder of my dress, and I smiled at her. No words were necessary. She kissed me on the cheek, and I turned to Gandalf. He, too, smiled at me.

"_Namarie_," Galadriel said. Celeborn repeated the farewell. Gandalf and I said our goodbyes and started walking towards the River Anduin. Some of the elves followed us, melting effortlessly into the trees. For a moment I wondered what they were doing, but then I realized that they were following us for our own protection. Gandalf continued at a brisk pace, and I had to half-jog to keep up with him.

After about forty-five minutes of waking, we emerged from the thick trees surrounding us and found a very Elvish looking boat waiting for us. My geography of Middle Earth wasn't great, but I assumed that we'd cross the river, abandon the boats of the other side and continue the relatively short distance on foot to Fangorn Forest, where the ents lived. I sincerely hoped that Gandalf would slow his pace for me.

We crossed the river without any trouble; I was wary of the rushing water at first, but I got used to it soon enough and did my best to help Gandalf propel us across the river. I doubt I did that much to help though; the current was rather strong, and a hobbit's strength could only go so far. We reached the other side and left the boats for the Elves to pick them up later. On the other side was another small continuation of Lorien, but without the Elves. At least, we didn't see any. When it began to get dark, Gandalf stopped and turned to me.

"I think we'll stop here for the night," I nodded, already exhausted and ready to go to sleep right where I was, right on the ground. However, I did manage to pull out my bedroll before I fell asleep, not even bothering to eat some of my supply of lembas that the Elves had provided for us.

Before I knew it, Gandalf was gently shaking me awake, the sun just barely making an appearance. I groaned and tried to ignore Gandalf, but he was persistent. Eventually I woke up fully when I noticed that I wanted food more than sleep. Gandalf and I each dug out some of our lembas and ate it as we continued walking. Not long after we started again, we got out of the forest and I had my first view of the plains of Rohan. They were breathtakingly beautiful and reminded me somewhat of the Shire: the rolling hills, long grass, and the distant horizon were so much like the Shire that I nearly cried. tHe only real diiference was the amount of rocks and great boulders seemingly placed randomly across the horizon.

Gandalf continued at his usual brisk pace, only pausing for a moment when we came out of the forest. Not long after, my legs and feet were so tired and achy that I begged Gandalf to stop for a moment.

"Gandalf!" I yelled out, as he had gotten a bit ahead of me and the loud wind made it hard to hear. He didn't hear me over the wind, so I yelled out louder, my voice cracking. "GANDALF!" He turned around, concerned, and ran back to me where I had sunk to the ground.

"What's wrong, Pearl?" he asked, both annoyed and concerned.

"Nothing. You're just going too fast," I said, breathing heavily and trying to catch my breath.

"I'm sorry, Pearl. We'll take a rest for a moment, and I'll try to slow my pace down. You cannot exert yourself in your condition," he said. I nodded, focusing on catching my breath. Not long after, I turned to Gandalf and nodded to let him know I was ready to continue. He held out his hand for me, and I gratefully grasped it and got up.

We continued walking until nightfall, when we again made camp. We continued this way for about I week. I don't ever remember being so exhausted. Finally, after seemingly endless walking, we reached the threshold of Fangorn Forest. Something about it made it seem so ancient and… heavy. It felt like someone was staring at you. It gave me as sense of foreboding, and I unconsciously shrunk closer to Gandalf. Gandalf didn't seem to be fazed at all and walked into the forest confidently. I followed behind him as closely as I could. Gandalf had yet to say anything about how we were going to find Treebeard, so I timidly asked him as I slid to his side.

"Gandalf, how are we going to find this…Treebeard?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't get mad at me for asking Tookish questions. Gandalf didn't seem to mind being questioned, which I supposed was from our lack of conversation over the last few days.

"He has a…house, I suppose you could call it, but no doubt he'll come to us. Not much happens in this forest that he doesn't know about. Your presence will also help him to come to us quicker, as he'll want to know what you are. Ents do not have much, if any contact with hobbits," Gandalf said. He stopped walking before I could ask another question. It seemed like he was listening to something. He smiled, and I realized that I was hearing a large booming noise in the distance, echoing around the forest in regular intervals. "Indeed, I think that is him now. Let us wait for him to come to us," Gandalf said. I nodded, nervously clenching and unclenching my fists. I watched as a tree-like being came into my sight. Actually, he looked so much like at tree that I would've though him to be one if wasn't walking. Even his face was so tree-like that I wouldn't have noticed it if I didn't see him walking. Even his beard was made of moss.

"Gandalf?" Treebeard asked, his voice deep, rich, and so unbelievingly slow. Somehow, even his voice sounded tree-like. It was exactly what I'd expect a tree to sound like if I knew one could talk.

"Hello, old friend! How has the forest been lately?" Gandalf asked cheerfully. I was astounded at Gandalf's familiarity with the ent; frankly, I was scared as much as a Gamgee was of water. I shrunk behind Gandalf, almost like a child would when he met someone new.

"It has not been as well as I'd like, Gandalf. The orcs come through almost daily, burning and chopping down my trees, often with no real use for them," Treebeard said, his voice still slow and ancient-sounding. Gandalf nodded gravely.

"So have I heard. Indeed, that is partly why we are here," Gandalf said.

"What is that small creature? I have not seen one before. It looks orcish to me," Treebeard said. The malice in his voice when he spoke of orcs made me tremble with fear.

"I'm… I'm not an orc, sir. I'm a hobbit," I said, plucking up my courage to speak to the ent.

"A hobbit? I've never heard of a hobbit before," Treebeard said with genuine interest.

"And I've never heard of an ent before," I said.

"Hmmm…. We shall have to explain ourselves to each other then. But no hurry, 'don't be hasty,' that is my motto. But first I must learn why you and Gandalf have come," Treebeard said. Gandalf, who had been grinning at our exchange, looked up at the ent again.

"Indeed. Unfortunately, we do not have much time, so we must be 'hasty' as you put it, Treebeard," Gandalf said. Treebeard humphed, and had to hold back laughter. Treebeard was getting impatient.

**o0o**

Yay! New chapter, finally. Not a particularly exciting chapter, but a necessary one. And hey, at least it's a chapter. What do you think of Treebeard? Is he in character?


	19. Fangorn Forest Continued

The Journey Alone: Chapter 19

July 22, 3002 (T.A.) 1402 (S.R.)

Pearl's POV

"_Indeed. Unfortunately, we do not have much time, so we must be 'hasty' as you put it, Treebeard," Gandalf said. Treebeard humphed, and I had to hold back laughter. Treebeard was getting impatient._

Gandalf briefly explained a bit more about hobbits and the Fellowship's quest over the last few weeks. I explained my part in the story and what had happened after Gandalf died to Treebeard. I could tell that I was going much faster than Treebeard was used to when telling stories. He kept "hmming" and "hooming" and making tree-like noises. I could tell that Gandalf was amused. When we finished, Treebeard seemed to take a deep breath.

"Hmmm… That was hasty. You are perhaps more hasty than even the elves that I used to speak with ages ago. But even they do not care for speaking with the ents anymore. We should go to a place where you can rest for the night," Treebeard said. And before I knew it, Treebeard had picked me up in his branch-like arms. I grabbed onto his fingers in fright. Gandalf seemed amused at my fear and calmly stepped into Treebeard's grasp as if he had been doing it for years. I wondered where we were going, but I didn't dare to ask. Gandalf seemed perfectly at ease with Treebeard, so I allowed myself to enjoy the ride—at least as much as I could while being carried by a tree (or ent) through a strange forest leagues away from home.

Fangorn Forest still seemed so unfathomably old and weary. It also seemed like it was undeniably _alive_. The trees quivered with life and I could have sworn that the trees whispered to one another. Eventually I grew tired of watching the mossy trees pass by, and Treebeard's swift but steady pace lulled me to sleep.

I awoke on the ground, wrapped tightly in blankets. I was outside, under a tree, yet it seemed more sheltered than sleeping under a regular tree. The tree's branches almost created a roof, and I felt safe even though neither Gandalf nor Treebeard was present. Slowly I got up and stretched. I noticed a stream with remarkably clear water, and was about to stoop to drink from it, when I was unexpectedly picked up and prevented from drinking. I screamed in surprise, but quieted when I noticed that it was just Treebeard. How he managed to be so quiet when he was so large was beyond me.

"You should not drink of that stream in your condition," he said slowly, in the way that I had come to understand all ents spoke.

"Why? Water is perfectly alright to have. It's not like it's ale or wine," I said.

"Hoom. That is not water. It is what you would call an 'ent-draught' I believe," he said. I raised my eyebrows.

"Then perhaps you have something that would be suitable for me, as I'm quite thirsty?" I asked, getting rather annoyed.

"Hmmm… Yes, I believe I do. There is a stream over there with fresh water," Treebeard said, indicating another stream running parallel to the one I had just tried to drink from, but obviously less _magical_-looking. I blushed, embarrassed for not noticing the stream before. Treebeard put me down, and I sheepishly went and drank.

When I finished, Treebeard still stood behind me and hadn't moved an inch. His eyes were closed, and he took no notice of anything else around him.

"Treebeard," I said, startling him out of his trance-like state. "Where is Gandalf?"

"Hoom… he went for a walk. He should be back soon. I sense that someone new has entered the forest, and I must go see if they are friend or foe. Too many of Saruman's orcs have killed my trees," he said. I nodded, preparing myself for a long, boring wait until Treebeard and Gandalf came back.

**o0o**

A couple hours later, Gandalf returned with a mischievous smile on his face. I wondered what had caused him to be so amused, but I didn't dare to ask him. Instead, he told me of his own accord.

"I believe your brother and cousin have found their way into Fangorn Forest. Treebeard should be bringing them any moment now," he said. I gaped, surprised that the two hobbits had managed to find their way to Fangorn.

"What about the rest of the Fellowship? Are they here too? And why are they here? Fangorn is miles out of their way!" I said. Gandalf smiled again.

"No, it is just Merry and Pippin. And I'll let them tell their story, as I myself am not quite sure why only they are here. They should have gotten quite a fright, running into Treebeard," Gandalf said evasively.

I sat down to wait. It wasn't long until I heard Treebeard's noisy footsteps echoing through the forest, announcing his approach from a distance. I stood up in anticipation, and Gandalf stood where he wouldn't be immediately noticed, presumably because Merry and Pippin thought he was dead.

"PEARL!" Pippin yelled from above, in Treebeard's branch-like arms. Treebeard set them on the ground, and both Merry and Pippin ran to me and threw their arms around me. I hugged them back, glad to see them and grateful that they were safe.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here? Why did you leave Lorien?" Merry said, in one continuous stream of questions.

"One at a time!" I said, laughing and giving each of them an individual hug.

"Indeed! One at a time!" Gandalf said, stepping out from the shadow. Both Merry and Pippin whipped around and stared in amazement at the wizard, whom they thought was dead. Gandalf laughed at the look of bewilderment on the faces of the two hobbits.

"You're…You're dead!" Pippin said, still in shock.

"Indeed! I was dead. But I was sent back to finish my task," Gandalf said.

"But I saw you fall!" Merry said, and Pippin burst into tears.

**o0o**

A while later, after Gandalf had explained everything to Pippin and Merry, Gandalf decided that we should start heading back where we first entered the forest. Gandalf would tell me nothing except that we were going to meet someone. He wouldn't respond to any specific questions. Pippin and Merry stayed with Treebeard after saying tearful goodbyes to both Gandalf and I.

Gandalf and I began walking toward where we had entered the forest. It didn't take us long, and we walked at a leisurely pace. Suddenly Gandalf stopped and stood there, doing nothing.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused about why he had stopped so suddenly. Gandalf held a finger up to his lips, silencing me. I stopped and listened.

I heard familiar sounding voices in the distance. Speaking Elvish.

Suddenly Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli came into view. I gasped in delight. However, they took no notice of me and were totally focused on Gandalf. With no warning whatsoever, Legolas shot his bow directly at Gandalf, and Aragorn and Gimli attacked him similarly with their weapons. I screamed, but their attacks had no effect on Gandalf, and he radiated a powerful white light that caused their weapons to drop out of their hands.

"Show yourself Saruman!" Aragorn yelled.

"It's not Saruman! It's Gandalf!" I yelled. All three of them turned to me in complete surprise.

"Pearl?" Aragorn said. I nodded. Meanwhile, the bright light faded, and Aragorn looked back at Gandalf.

"Gandalf?" he asked uncertainly. "It cannot be!" Gimli gaped, and Legolas sank to his knees.

"I come back to you now, at the turn of the tide," Gandalf said.

"You fell," Aragorn said.

"Through fire," Gandalf said. "And water." Gandalf then proceeded to explain how he had fallen and then come back to life, and ended with how both of us ended up in Fangorn.

"And what of the hobbits?" Legolas asked.

"They are with Treebeard, an ent," Gandalf said.

"The ents are still living within Fangorn?" Leglas said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, they are. You will find that many creatures that have only lived on through legend ar in fact still living in Middle Earth," Gandalf said.

"And what about Frodo, Sam, and Boromir?" I asked.

"Boromir is dead," Aragorn said sadly. I gasped.

"And Frodo and Sam?" I asked fearfully.

"We believe that they left for Mordor, together. One of the boats was missing when we came out of the forest with Boromir," Aragorn said gravely. Finally, I broke down and sobbed in relief and fear for Frodo and Sam. I sank to the ground and covered my face with my hands. Quickly, I was surrounded by all of them.

"Pearl!" Aragorn said in concern. "Are you alright?" I gradually stopped crying and nodded.

"I'm fine," I said. "It's just…" I trailed off, but they seemed to understand.

Eventually, we decided to head to Rohan.

**o0o**

In the next few minutes, we made our way to the edge of the forest. Gandalf whistled, and a white horse appeared almost instantly.

"Shadowfax," Gandalf said fondly. "The Lord of all horses." Aragorn and Legolas led their horses, and mounted them. Gimli rode with Legoals, and I rode with Gandalf. Within moments, we were on our way to Edoras, the capital of Rohan.

**o0o**

O my gosh I am so sorry I haven't updated in forever. And that this is so short. The next chapter is Helm's Deep, which should be a really long chapter though, and I just wanted to get this up. You should check out my other story for Harry Potter, called The Many Character of Harry Potter. It's a one shot for every single character from Harry Potter. I have 3 so far.


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